THE ORIGIN OF YOUR PERSPECTIVES

Perspective –

A word with many considerations.  A change to be considered.   Humor me for just a moment and imagine the word "perspective" as a circle; a clock in particular, with many points of reference.  The center of the dial will look different depending on where you are standing within the circle, and from what direction you are facing it.  So it is as we consider everything in life.  It depends on where we are standing.  A dichotomy of views are the result of past experiences, life long conditioning and learned behavior.

 Resistance –

An unwillingness to consider a change in views.  Those aforementioned past experiences and life long conditioning results that have planted our feet within the confines of our space on the clock, like standing in the confines of quick sand, unable to move from where we reside.

I know I am not alone here...On many occasions, I have disagreed with someone’s point of view.  My conditioned beliefs; right or wrong, have drawn me to the conclusions I have so staunchly defended.  But the ringing of the word perspective in my mind entices me to shift from my current position on the clock.  Not to move to another position, but to maneuver my stance in order to peer in towards the point from another angle, a direction I’ve never considered before.  I may never have had a reason to make this shift before. 

Rapists, murderers, child molesters, hate groups.  Over the years, nationally publicized events have puzzled me.  The abduction of young children by men that look like your normal “boy next door” stereotypes.  The young innocent lives that have been jolted out of existence because of a cruel, senseless murder.  Life lines snapped like a tree limb that has been taken from its maternal trunk only to be thrown away and abandoned.

My first response to the individuals that perform these heinous acts is to hate them and I'm sure that I am not alone .  My life long conditioning informs me that what they have done is wrong. I suppose that if I had a chance to talk to these individuals, I might have a clearer understanding as to why they commit the crimes they are accused of and the circumstances that led them to perform these acts of violence.  Please know that I am not condoning these acts in any way; however, many times we are unwilling to consider another individual’s or another group’s perspective, because it is so far removed from anything we could possibly imagine.  Again, it’s because of our life long conditioning and learned behavior. 

Our experiences are not the same as others.  Eliminating our resistance in considering these differences can assist us in our efforts to resolve so much of the inner conflict we experience when we observe injustices and can ultimately help us to understand the many roads that are available to us, and help us to make decisions based on the consideration of many points of view.

God has made each of us unique, with a kaleidoscope of experiences.  Each of these experiences, has molded us into who we are.  I stand on the reality that everything we have experienced in life has made us who we are today.  What we choose to do with past experiences will determine our future direction.  Taking the time to step back, to reflect on where we are and to consider different perspectives will help us as we begin to consider the decisions we make moving forward, thereby creating the future that we aspire to attain.