I probably have a dozen posts about perspectives. Here’s another one; deal with it!
We have all heard the phrase, “it’s a matter of perspective.” We, however, rarely give it the thought it deserves. Even more rarely, someone comes along that forces us to challenge our perspectives. It could be a new friend, a stranger, or a political figure out of the blue. Regardless, this should not be taken lightly or overlooked.
We all have our demons. We all have our crosses to bear. Some people will put on a magnificent display on how many demons they have and how big the cross they bear. Others will face their demons alone. They hide their cross from everyone close to them. They suffer in silence. I can understand both, although, I am more apt to face my demons alone, and I’ll refuse help on bearing my own cross. After all, it is my cross to bear. This isn’t an exercise in arrogance or self loathing. Instead, it is a mindset that I do not want to burden anyone else with the mistakes of my past or the internal demons I currently battle.
What people often forget about is other people. What demons do they fight? What internal battles are raging in them? More importantly, what demons have they conquered, and what battles have they won? What someone has done in their past is not irrelevant, but it is not as important as some people think it is. Cancel culture is based on a flawed concept that a person’s past defines them. It doesn’t. How they reacted and grew from that past is what defines them. I don’t care if you were a prostitute (Mary of Egypt for all those biblical scholars), ran a bunch of preschoolers over while snapchatting your privates to a stranger you met on Tinder, or fibbed on your taxes for an extra $100 in your return. All can be considered sins. If you haven’t learned something, grew, and in all cases, forgiven yourself, you are not prepared to handle your own perspective, let alone anyone else’s.
What does this mean? You have to be able to be honest with yourself on your own struggles and achievements. You have to be honest on your own perspectives before you can attempt to view someone else’s perspective with any insight. That is what is so wrong with society today. Too many people are not honest with themselves to be able to understand why they believe what they do. If you do not understand what you believe and why you believe it, how are you supposed to be able to understand someone else’s perspectives and beliefs? When someone says, “It’s a matter of perspective,” it is supposed to make your think and realize that you are not the center of the universe. Other people exist. Other perspectives exist. Most importantly, you might be wrong, or you might be right.
One response to “Perspectives”
This is where I love the subject of Cognitive Dissonance. If you have morals and instilled beliefs, a personal ethic, when you violate it you are creating a rift between what you know is right deep down and it’s conflicted with what you’re surrounded by.
For example one of my personal codes is to treat others the way I want to be treated. In fact, this can be harder than it seems, even though we are taught it at like 5 years old. As adults we are tried in this code and it is FAR MORE EASY to do what I want at the time, when I want it, than to consider the effect of my behavior or action on others. Its a practice in empathy as well, to avoid becoming so self-absorbed that my default is to only think of me.
That’s one way to cope with society these days. Self-absorption. I’m still fighting the battle “swimming upstream” or “shoveling shit against the tide” trying to be considerate and thoughtful to others. I don’t expect it back anymore. How can I?