Projection gives us an image. Rolling it back gives reality room to appear.
Rolling back projections may be one of the more difficult tasks in life. It asks us to step away from idealization and demonization and meet people more closely for who they actually are, rather than for who we imagine them to be.
We naturally create images of other people. We notice certain qualities, fill in what we do not know, and gradually form an idea of who they are. Sometimes we idealize them, seeing more goodness, wisdom or possibility than is actually there. At other times, we demonize them, reducing them to their limitations, failures or the qualities we find difficult to accept. Both can give us a sense of clarity. But both also simplify reality. A useful practice is to notice what we imagine about someone. What have I decided they are? What qualities have I given them? What am I leaving out? Where have I made them better or worse than they may actually be? Then comes the more difficult step: accepting that no image can capture the totality of another person. There is always something we cannot know, something that remains beyond our understanding. Rather than filling that space with another conclusion, we can allow ourselves to meet the person as a living reality, revealed gradually through their words, choices and actions. This does not mean abandoning discernment or pretending that everything is acceptable. It means allowing reality to be more complex than the image we have created of it. Projection gives us an image. Rolling it back gives reality room to appear.
By Ariel Karmeli · October 2026
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