Perspective is a tricky thing.
We all feel as though ours is the ‘right’ one and the only proper way to see things.
The problem is we can’t all be right about that. (Except me, of course. Mine IS the correct perspective. At least we can all agree on that……riiiight?)
Often, where we are standing relative to the thing-we-have opinions-about makes up a lot of the way we think about it.
Are you inside a bubble of similarly-opinioned people where you keep reinforcing each others’ views?
Are you ‘too close’ to a topic to be able to take a more objective step back?
Are you on the outside of a community, looking in, and maybe don’t have all the information you would need to have a fully-informed view?
The reality is that we are all in all of these places most of the time on different topics.
It doesn’t mean that our opinions or attitudes are ‘wrong’ necessarily, but it does mean that in each case, our perspective - the place from which we see these topics - is different.
When the world seems especially crazy, I have a well-developed fantasy of running off to a ‘tiny home’ community in the hills, or on the beach, with a small group of like-minded people, and rarely having to interact with ‘outside’ people ever again. We will have our own farm/garden and mini library…..and yeah, that’s about all I need (in my fantasy). Oh aside from puppies. We will also need puppies.
There are definitely some days (or weeks….years…?!), I see no problem with this idea at all.
But on days when I can muster a wider perspective, I can see that taking yourself out of the world means that you are a great deal less able to contribute to it, or even enjoy it. And while that might be nice for a while (or longer!), full detachment from the the societal fabric that, however much we might resent it, breathes purpose and meaning into our life, would ultimately impoverish our existence. (sigh….).
But, an equal challenge is that we do need some distance, some of the time. We can’t be so subsumed in the cultural and political threads (or threats?) of our time that we become unable to retreat, step back, and consider a wider perspective.
Social media, for example, gives us a space to talk (or sometimes spew), but not to think.
Fully detaching gives us space to think, but not grist to make that thinking relevant, or actionable, or even particularly edifying, given that there would be no place or context in which our thinking could land.
So….what to do?
Well, clearly there is a need to take occasional (or frequent) breaks from the deafening alarms rung by those who would prefer you were wild-eyed and afraid for most of your life. This can include taking a break from your own ringing of those alarms.
A Saturday away from headlines, media, or technology can work wonders. Even a lunchtime spent sitting in the park or your yard, with just a sandwich for company can help us maintain an even keel for longer.
A month away from Facebook perhaps.
A full week or two, (or three if you can manage it), of travel and immersion in different cultures or places or communities can also help reset that whirring worry inside.
All good ideas. And necessary. Definitely do those if you can. But, I also think our biggest asset - to gain the widest and most relevant perspective possible - is our imagination.
And while I wrote last week about how hard it is for us to see the possible as opposed to just the past, as humans, we do also have special ability to engage with the world by not only seeing it as it existed, yesterday.
And instead of allowing only our fear to dominate what we consider tomorrow might hold, we get to imagine it as it could be if we work towards building something ‘better’. To imagine something different in the future is to construct a perspective based partly on what we already see and know, and partly what we can creatively summon.
It is our ultimate act of resistance.
For example, 150 years ago (and I’m sure much longer as well), women imagined what it would be like to vote and to participate fully in choosing the direction of society. Twenty years ago (and longer), gay people imagined being able to get married to each other. We are currently in the process of imagining what clean energy could mean, or a world without racism. All of these achievements and futures - all of which then take bravery and action and hope to implement - first had to be imagined. A perspective had to be created that wasn’t limited to what was only visible or possible in the culture of the day.
We think of developing ‘perspective’ as seeing reality more clearly. It is partly that, but there is little purpose only in that, it seems to me. Seeking a ‘clearer’ perspective becomes useful only if we intend to improve upon it - meaning we have to imagine and then act on what we would prefer.
Will we be disappointed and frustrated and irritated if we allow ourself to imagine something better and then look around at what we currently see? Yes. And we will also see reasons for hope and action too?
Yes.
Exactly. 🙏
“Will we be disappointed and frustrated and irritated if we allow ourself to imagine something better and then look around at what we currently see? Yes. And we will also see reasons for hope and action too?
Yes.”