Perspective is our choice
This week had a tumultuous news cycle. There is continued escalation in the Russian invasion of Ukraine and there doesn’t look to be an end in sight. The NASDAQ stock market index had its worst week since 2008, which is ominous for some. Elon Musk purchased Twitter, which is also ominous for some. I could continue with a list of economic reports, mention the rising price of gas and focus on the bifurcation of public opinion. But, would that bring any change?
Instead, I would like to propose something productive. John Gray wrote the book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus in 1992. It was quite a revolutionary book. Gray was the first to articulate the principle that men and women will never understand each other. Basically, they speak different languages, like different things, and handle their stresses differently. As long as men and women understand that about each other, we can still co-exist and have a great relationship. We don’t have to understand each other. We simply have to understand that we have different perspectives…and that is okay.
The book didn’t necessarily have to be about men and women. Why couldn’t we think about other people this way? Couldn’t we think that people who have different opinions than we do are simply coming from a different perspective? Maybe, it’s not our job to change their perspective and not their job to change ours. Maybe, we can just share our perspectives, realize that we may never truly understand each other, but learn to co-exist. Even a diehard Yankees fan could get along with a diehard Red Sox fan. If they understand that the love of baseball is what binds them together, then they have found shared perspective. FYI, if you don’t follow baseball; having a Yankees fan and a Red Sox fan in the same room would not end well.
With all the uncertainty, chaos and division in the world right now, it may be time that we think more about what brings us together than what separates us. All this takes is an understanding that we all have a different perspective. I think that our society depends on it. Additionally, it will lead to a much healthier and more fulfilled life for those who embody this attitude.