Perspective - fact, fiction or does it matter any more?

I can remember a telling moment as a dad when my son brought my memory of our times together during his youth into perspective. I had awesome memories of various adventures we shared together as a family. Yet, as I listened, which was painful, I realized that my sense of what happened didn’t really matter a whole lot if my son didn’t share the same sense of what happened. I was rather humbled to realize that a few of my best family times didn’t have the same place in his memory banks. So is it possible in today’s world that is so quick to make feelings and perspective more important than truth to understand the mechanics of how you understand someone else’s view of life circumstances, especially when they differ from you?

It is so easy to impose my view or perspective on life on others with the false assumption that my way is the better choice and ultimately the only way to live? As the media brings to our various electronic devices the turbulent updates of religious wars, racial wars and the ongoing drama with social inequality we must be forced to step back and reassess what type of filter or glasses we wear to understand life. I can remember when I was a kid that most of the hot topics of discussion today would have been taboo. So is it possible that at some juncture in life that 2 plus 2 won’t equal four but maybe five or six? Is it possible to have a sliding scale for morality?

I have studied a variety of worldviews that would range from relativism, utilitarianism, absolutism, socialism, determinism and various theistic positions. All of these to some extent truly believe or postulate that their view is more likely the better position to hold. So how do we live in a diverse community or world where opposing views on life will clash? I’m reminded as I work with younger kids who come out of diverse and difficult circumstances that my solutions to life’s challenges can only be suggestions.  I can remember back when doing concrete work before grad school that one of the slag expressions amongst foremen would have been that the ‘white’ way is the right way. It’s so true that the senior craftsman or seasoned teacher, engineer or whatever would express this to their new hires.

I know that prejudices are very difficult to overcome or moderate without an openness to listen and learn. This cute cartoon about this turtle thinking that it’s flying is so real in most people’s lives today. I can be topsy-turvy and make the assumption that my view has to be the only view that explains life. So as I chuckled at this post the bottom line for the cartoonist was to always be looking up and choose to be an optimist versus a pessimist or realist. So again the challenge comes back to whether I can laugh at myself and not take everything so seriously that it becomes a debate or an all or nothing discussion!

I would love to be able to fly at times or at least pretend to think that I’m capable of dreaming that to some extent!