How Perspective Can Help Us or Actually Harm Us

"Your opinion is your opinion, your perception is your perception do not confuse them with 'facts' or 'truth.' Wars have been fought and millions have been killed because of the inability of men to understand the idea that everyone has a different viewpoint." -John Moore

"The World is FLAT" no no no, "The World is Round" Nature is beautiful…nature is cruel. What diet is the best? How can you listen to this? Not all music is the same…The beach is my second home, well I think the beach is dirty and overcrowded!

The list goes on and on…From religion to politics, to trends, diets, health, and exercise. Perspective is everywhere. It can be found in every country, society, community, and neighborhood. 

Perspective has caused great harm throughout history, but it has also caused great triumphs and innovations. It is the mere balance in perspectives that could be the answer to the unbalancing, and undoing of our worlds. For every human is living in a different perspective. No two people have the same opinions, beliefs, thoughts, feelings, or even truths. 

For example, I am lucky or unlucky (depending on who you ask) for I was born with a womb-mate. I have a fraternal twin sister. Though it may have been by grace or a special force we were born in North America in the 21st Century. I say this to say, there were and are places and countries throughout history where twins were seen as a curse or a blessing. 

This very viewpoint, had the potential to harm or help my sister and I. As it does, every set of twins that have been born on this planet. 

I can only imagine what life would be like or not be like if we were born in one of those places. Many would say the custom or belief is a strange thing-why abandon or harm two babies (twins). They are just babies, innocent, they did nothing wrong. However, perspective begets a different answer. To others, twins bring nothing but sadness, misfortune, hardship, pain, grief, and despair. In learning this, as hard as it was, I felt sadness for the loss of life and an understanding of a culture different from mine. 

On the other hand, there were places that twins were celebrated and shown great appreciation and reverence for. Twins are regarded as a blessing from God. Twins are revered as a fortune for good health, good wealth, and abundance. Now, what a difference perspective can make! 

If perspective can make such a difference, than why aren't we checking it? Why are we not reflecting, questioning, and asking ourselves is this the best perspective?

"At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the worst. - Socrates 

Right now in the world, there are people arguing, fighting, and even killing others for simply a different perspective. READ that AGAIN. 

Can we not accept other perspectives and simply be? If you do not agree with someone - okay that's fine. As long as your perspective is not harming, killing, condemning, or belittling anyone. For if it is, should you not question it? 

If your perspective takes you away from kindness, love, understanding, treating others the way you want to be treated…is this the best perspective? For what if it was you - that was being shunned, harmed, beaten, mistreated, or even killed because you didn't fit in with someone else's perspective? Or how they believe the world should be?

There is no possible way that everyone is going to like you, what you do, or believe. For example, I like peaches, but my grandmother didn't. That didn't stop me from eating them, and neither made her eat them. She didn't discourage me because I did like them, and I didn't pick on her because she didn't like them. We just went on our way and ate fruits that we liked and enjoyed. She explained what she didn't like about them, and I told her what I liked. We had an understanding and left it at that. 

A balanced perspective in life is a simple understanding. Yet so difficult to achieve. 

Regardless of where you look- viewpoints and beliefs are there. The old age argument of who is right? Has set the tone for many discussions, disagreements, wars, and civilizations lost. So, what can we learn from all of this? 

Perspectives are not inherently good or bad. They are just points, views, periods in an essay. No one person has the best or only perspective, it is simply theirs. 

There is beauty in differences. There is a humanness in being different. In fact, it's what makes us human. My twin sister and I are very different yet the same. Yes, we disagree and we have had arguments. That is a part of life. In doing so, we never forgot that the other is my sister, my friend, and another human being. 

I look at all of the foods around the world, fashion, languages, animals, land, houses, people, and I smile. I smile with gratitude that we are all here. We are all learning, trying, and expressing ourselves. Yes, we are different, but we are also the same. There is so much to learn from others, if we only give them the chance to show us. 

Because of these differences- we have multiple food recipes, languages to speak, clothes to wear, friends to meet, places to travel, experiences not yet had. There is multiple styles of art, design, philosophies, and creativity. There have been many innovations and advancements such as: the Industrial Revolution, the Renaissance, and the Internet. To some these things have been good, and to others not so much. 

From perspective A to perspective Z there is a cry for balance and wholeness. Life is not one-sided and your perspective shouldn't be either. There can be a balancing of perspective if we only open ourselves up and search for it. 

Take Medium for example, there are many writers who come here to share their lives, their views, and add to the overall perspective. The overall perspective is simply that - overall. It is made up of ALL viewpoints, beliefs, systems, ideas, and theories. We are all but drops in a lake filling it together. There is no one kicking others out because of how they write or what they write. Perspective is like a movie. Some will love it, others will not. That doesn't mean it didn't deserve to exist. For someone, somewhere needed to see it. 

You may not always agree on things, or with someone. Remember however, they are human, they are a living being, and their perspective matters too. In this day and age, it maybe time to challenge our perspectives. To remember the ALL is greater than the ONE.

For what would the world be like if it were only you? If only your experiences mattered and no one else's. How would you survive alone? Would anyone like you? Respect you? Be friend you? Look out for you? Or even help you? Truly, the world is big enough for us all. So, let's start acting like it.