Perspectives

May we keep expanding our own.

PERSPECTIVE, by definition, is a particular way of thinking about something.

Our perspective is valuable to the world. It is our unique offering, and yet, it is always limited. Our perspective carries our experiences, family dynamics, economic status, culture, mental and physical health, scars, growth, etc. This is how we both see the world and relate to the world.

I wrote previously about the maps we’ve been handed in life and the necessity of going beyond the borders set for us. We must keep growing. We must keep expanding. We must keep understanding that there is SO MUCH more to know and see.

So, I want to posit for us today the value of learning to EXPAND our perspectives. We will do this for our own sake and health as well as for the betterment of others.

“All spiritual practice is the art of shifting perspectives.” – Teal

Gaining perspective helps you problem-solve, cope, and heal with situations. Gaining perspective helps us utilize compassion and understanding on behalf of others, which will/can cause us to act differently, live differently, and make different choices.

Our perspective shapes everything.

The quote by Anaïs Nin, “We don’t see things as they are; we see things as we are,” refers to our thoughts, decisions, and actions.

Gaining perspective helps us not deny the facts of any situation but instead expand the truth, shifting our focus more broadly.

A few years ago I read the Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama, Arch-Bishop Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams. The book is about sharing perspectives, finding common ground, and expanding what they offer leads to a joy-filled life.  They provide that changing our perspectives is relatively easy.  It is the part of our mind over which we have influence.  Victor Frankl (Auschwitz survivor) says that our perspective towards life is our final and ultimate freedom.  He said, “Everything can be taken from a man, but one thing, the last of human freedoms – to choose one attitude in any given set of circumstances. To choose one’s own way.” 

Our perspective has the power to keep us alive or cause our death.

Again, how we see the world and the meaning we give circumstances change how we feel at that moment. Perspective is the key to unlocking our happiness.

"Every problem has multiple angles. Every angle has its own truth. But no one angle can encompass the whole truth." - Unknown.

Listening, reading, and observing help us gain other people’s perspectives. I have always said my most prominent teachers in life have been books and travel. My son just graduated and is taking a gap year. He’s also doing a 10-week program traveling to Australia, Thailand, and Japan. And. We. Couldn’t. Be. Happier.

When we, no matter our age, start intentionally reading and traveling, we can do one of two things. We can search for people or perspectives that mirror our own – the idea of confirmation bias and submerge ourselves in silos of people that look, think, and act like us. OR we can choose to introduce novelty into our lives. That is information that DOES NOT agree with our expectations. Novelty means introducing something new or seeing something in a new way.  Then we have the choice, much like Victor Frankl said – we have a choice to adapt.

 “Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

When we gain others' perspectives, we better understand and become aware of the world's complexity. We better understand how we relate to each other, how life interacts, or better - the relationship of things.  This can lead to greater compassion.  In the book A Fearless Heart, Jinpa defines compassion as a “sense of concern that arises when we are confronted with another’s suffering and feel motivated to see that suffering relieved.  Compassion is what connects the feeling of empathy to acts of kindness, generosity, and other expressions of altruistic tendencies.”

So, choosing to expand our perspective leads to empathy, which leads to compassion and action. The world and our world get both larger and better.

This is the abundant and generous world I want to participate in.

Gaining a wider perspective is understanding and reminding us that we are all connected and responsible. It is humbly recognizing our place, our magic, and what we can offer while humbly knowing that we are one in billions.

I’ve always loved that Madeline L’Engle quote: “I have a point of view. You have a point of view. God has view.” Whatever you believe or don’t believe about God or your definition of “god” or the universe, the point is to try to understand that there is always more.

There are always three sides to every story, your side, my side, and everything else in between and involved in that story. Context matters deeply.

“There are things known, and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.” – Aldous Huxley.

But gaining perspective is not just about zooming out to look at the larger picture. It’s also about zooming in to look at the details of how said situation is affecting not only you but also someone else. In gaining perspective, you also get particular.

SIDE NOTE (and maybe a post later): Blanket statements and ideas do not work. Life is particular, and we are unique. So, approaching each person and situation differently and openly is so needed. Again, context matters.

APPLICATION.

Maybe the best way to see if we are open to more than our siloed perspective is to ask if the way I relate to this moment or situation feels like I’m being held back or if I feel free.

If your perspective on any situation is closed, you will feel anxious, upset, frustrated, and defensive. 

But if your perspective is open, you will feel curious and free.

So we can ask ourselves - Am I curious? Am I open?  Am I willing to expand? Is there more to know?  What can I learn here?

Then, every day, consider: Who am I listening to? Who am I reading? Who am I paying attention to?

The way you see yourself matters.

The way you see others matters.

The way you see the world matters.

So, what is your perspective?

May we remember - every person is a new door to a better and larger world.

QUESTION to further ponder or journal: Is there a distinct time in your life when you know you benefited from a gained perspective?