perspective is everything

If you and I both witnessed a traffic accident and were asked to give our accounts in court, they'd vary. Not because one of us would be wrong, but because we all see things differently. We all see things from our own point of view, our own perspective.

Was the car green or blue, was it travelling at 30 or 40 miles an hour, did the car indicate? Well, it depends where the witness was standing, their colour sense, what else was on their mind, maybe even what they had for breakfast...who knows? Where you are looking from defines what you see and that includes your emotional, mental and physical position.

Because we all are a product of our upbringing and experiences we can't all expect to see things in the same way. When life events occur all our influences come to bear, including culture, schooling, echoes of previous experiences and even our position in the birth order of our family. The first born, or only child will often see things differently in adulthood than a second, middle or last born child. 

It is a common mistake that we should see things the same way and that one way (usually our way) is better than another. Logically, of course, this can't happen, we can't all be right all the time but it's so hard to let go of our determination to believe that our way is the best and only way to see things. So much time is wasted trying to persuade others around to our point of view when they clearly don't share it, and why do we feel so anxious to make everyone feel like we do?

Perhaps it's a need to try and control our environment and keep some sort of order but it seems like a lot of effort when we could just agree to differ and move on. Just how much does it really matter if we all see things differently? That difference enriches our world and it would stagnate if artists, activists, children, friends and enemies alike didn't ask us to stop and reconsider our viewpoint.

Finally, I think it's worth remembering that when someone is frustrating you with their inability to 'move on' or deal with an event, they are probably seeing something that you're not, something that isn't finished or over. They are seeing something from their own, unique perspective.