Sunday, April 10, 2011

It's all about Perspective


photo credit - kenlauher.com
Is the glass half full? or half empty?
Life is funny. You can look at something today and then a year or 5, 10 years from now you may feel differently about it. It can add a whole new spin on things. It’s called maturity, experience and wisdom.

You may look at something today and someone else may view it in a totally different light. This can be a matter of contention for a lot of people but that’s just the way the world is and we have to learn to live with it. You can do all the arguing in the world that you want but sometimes if two people don’t see eye to eye on a subject – there’s no reasoning and no backing down from one’s point of view. It could be family, friends, colleagues or world leaders...sometimes it’s difficult to figure out why educated people can’t just agree on one issue when everything seems clear cut and black and white in your mind or maybe to an outsider. It’s like watching a movie and shouting out the obvious but yet the actors not being aware continue blindly on because they have a role to play. A point to consider is that if everyone were alike then there would be no diversity in the world, no freedom to choose…we would all be clones/machines that walk, talk and look alike with the same hairstyle, choice in clothing, sense of humour and mannerisms. There would be no difference in culture or opinion. The fact that I have chosen this particular photo for this article can also influence a person's perspective. But sometimes that is just the chance you have to take.

It can be a job, or a boss, company policy, legislation, a parent or a game. For simplicity we'd use my blog as an example…some persons tell me that they find it inspiring and brilliant work that make them think and brightens their day or offers a solution to their problem….I was even encouraged to publish books. I have gotten repeated "hits" from all corners of the world --as far as Australia, Indonesia, Slovenia, Netherlands and Russia to name a few. When I wrote for the newspapers persons of all different ages and denominations also told me how much they can relate. Yet to others it’s open to interpretation --- some may prefer some posts more than others --some may just not "do" inspiration—some may like fiction or true stories --or it may just not touch others in quite the same way. No matter people’s interpretation however it does not faze me because I am doing what I love and will continue to do it regardless. It’s how we deal with our differences that set us apart from the actors in the movies. Do we get offended or annoyed or do we try to determine what is the reason behind a person’s opinion and take it in stride extracting from it what we can and deciding for ourselves what is our own truth? It takes a really big person to see it for what it’s worth and move constructively forward.

Some things are timeless. Maybe your perspective won’t change on some matters. But when we can look back at our “past selves” and recognize that we have flaws and have made mistakes then we realize how much we have really grown and only then can we move on and avoid making them again. It’s good to change your perspective sometimes. ©