Hold up a piece of paper and describe what you see.
One person sees a rectangle. Another person sees a straight line. Much argument ensues over who is right.
Guess what? Both are right; but their perspectives differ. To the person viewing the piece of paper straight on, it’s a rectangle. To the person viewing the piece of paper from the side (laid across the palm of the hand, for example) the piece of paper looks like a flat line. If the paper is allowed to bend across the hand, it appears as a curved line. If the paper is rotated, it becomes vertical or horizontal. The options for perception and accompanying opinion are practically infinite.
Before we get upset about someone’s opposing opinion, it might do us well to consider their perspective. We’re all operating from behind our own little windows on the world. Our viewpoints are colored by our age, our history, our culture, our life experiences, the social groups we associate with, where we live, the sources of information to which we are exposed, and so much more.
The person who sees the piece of paper as a flat line in space isn’t going to enjoy the benefit of using the paper to create art, or to write a letter. They’re going to miss out because their perspective is limited. Conversely, the individual who sees the paper as a rectangle may think that rectangle is the summation of all reality, with nothing to see on the other side.
What if everyone is, indeed, a little bit wrong AND a little bit right?
By NIKI TURNER – editor@editorht1885.com
