There are clearly different “types” of Perspectives. There seems to be the healthy type of perspective and less healthy type.
One type of perspective allows us to embrace the other person with respect for their perspective. The other type can be Toxic. What is valid for one person is not always valid for another. Sometimes we can see flaws in the perspective of the other, especially when that perspective is negative and clouds the ability to rationalize more clearly. (From our perspective at least) For example an anorexic woman who weighs 60 pounds but still sees herself as too fat clearly has a very unhealthy perspective of herself that we are unlikely to agree with.
On the other hand when we argue politics and share our perspective with others we hope they will at least respect our view as they hope we will respect theirs. It isn’t a matter of agreeing or not, it’s simply a matter of respecting and validating them.
Perspective shapes us and who we are. Sometimes when we hear another’s perspective on life it can be disturbing, yet who are we to judge another?
Am I in a better position to judge another or their perspective on life? I don’t think so. I am uncertain about so many things in this life, and often sway in the wind in terms of what I believe or what I know is right. So is my perspective any more stable or valid than the next person’s? How would I know anyway what is truly valid and what is not? Just because a perspective is mine does it make it valid and true? At the end of the day perspective is perspective that is all, perspective.
If my perspective on life is that everything is bad in this world, everything is dark and negative can I really expect or hope that others will wholeheartedly agree with me? And maybe I am wrong anyway? But whose truth is the truth? Is there one? Maybe my dark perspective is valid? Well it clearly is to me, but is it the whole story?
Maybe one truth is that there is always another perspective to be explored and considered. If I say I think my view is valid that the world is bad, maybe at a certain moment in time that perspective might be valid, but maybe there are unexplored avenues worthy of consideration by me that will demonstrate otherwise. Maybe I am wrong, at least sometimes anyway? It is possible. Maybe even I can consider another perspective .It isn’t a one way street where I may expect all others to respect and validate my dark and negative perspective on life without me giving the same respect in return. Clearly life is more complicated than that anyway, life is simply not that clear, not so black and white and in the many moments of our lives we will have many dark moments and many bright ones. They are all moments in time and they pass. One bad moment in time doesn’t make a whole life black, even if there are many such moments. Many bright moments doesn’t mean there are no dark moments.
If we perceive the world is all dark or all light, then there is a flaw somewhere as our lives aren’t static. Time doesn’t stand still. Maybe it takes a broad perspective that is open enough to embrace many moments of good and bad moments. A perspective that can embrace and take on board a rainbow of ideas maybe the healthiest of perspectives and may be one answer to this big question. There is no one perspective that is right, and no one perspective that is wrong. I am not you and you are not me and maybe all we can do as I said earlier respect and validate this.
Maybe it is helpful to understand why someone has the perspective they do. It is the least we can do to understand why. I would like to know why a sixty pound girl thinks she is fat? Of course I listen to her explanation with respect, but then use the information to decide if it makes sense or not, if I can be persuaded of that point of view and learn something new. In this case of a girl, I cannot, all I know is she needs help. But if someone holds a world perspective I never thought of or considered, then I want to know and share the information. I might actually learn something. Of course I am also hoping the other will do the same for me.
To humbly validate another and their perspective, their beliefs and passions is the least we can do for each other. To listen at least to others and never be so arrogant as to think our own perspective is the only valid one that exists. After all we don’t have to agree with the other, just to validate and respect the other.
Please have your say. Let us know your views on the article. We are all here to learn from each other.