Perspective
So you’re annoyed and frustrated that nobody sees it your way and no one understands you. This is a common problem among teens and adults alike. A mindset like this can be an extreme burden on anyone, in some cases causing depression of the highest caliber. Why is it that there is so much conflict in the world today, and why do you think that everyone has their own unique view on a certain topic? All of these questions can be answered by one word, perspective.
Perspective is a strange topic, one which has lingered on my mind for some time now. First I would like to explain why so many people feel as though no one understand them, and ultimately how we can change this. Have you ever had an opinion that you have held for quite some time and a friend of yours introduced you to their different point of view/ perspective? Perhaps they even tried to convince you of the correctness of their particular world view, or even became upset that you didn’t share the same ideal. Well I’m sure some of you met this opinion with opposition or even anger. There are a a few reasons for this common occurrence that I think we should all take into consideration before rushing to judgment. Firstly one should remember that this “friend” your speaking to hasn’t had every single experience you have had so it’s extremely unlikely that you two would come to a consensus. Second you should always remember that because of your upbringing you may put more emphasis on certain points of the argument than the person you’re speaking with. Your side of the argument may even seem infallible to you because it has been concrete in your morality and has existed that way for some time (since being raised). These “beliefs” can be summarized as having a “hierarchy” in your subconscious. Without even knowing it everyone makes irrational assumptions based on a hierarchy of beliefs that have grown on us. It is because this scale is unique to our upbringing, and experiences, that it is so hard to change our understanding and rationalization of topics that we have held for an extended period of time.
So what you might ask is the solution to this problematic situation? It’s simple, be open-minded and sympathetic to everyone’s arguments and opinions, but allow yourself to be skeptical as well. We all have this hierarchy belief system that acts as a foundation to the way we view the world. If you take into account the act that we were all not brought up in the same manner, with the same ideals it becomes very easy to understand how opinions can differ so greatly. Put simply, be open minded and skeptical to everything you hear but at the same time attempt to put yourself in the other persons shoes because in the end if you were that person you would have acted the same way.
