Be not a prisoner of your own perspective
Life can be busy, and often one can find that it is a struggle to keep things in perspective. To see the good which sits alongside the bad, or the greys amongst the black and white is a formidable challenge. Perspective is everything when it comes to viewing, understanding, wisdom, and identifying within your psyche.
Perspective in the Cambridge Dictionary means: “a particular way of considering something or to think about a situation or problem in a wise and reasonable way”. Perspective in American English means: “a particular way of viewing things that depends on one’s experience and personality”. Perspective is rooted in a Latin word meaning “look through” or “perceive,” and all the meanings of perspective have something to do with looking.
The ability to reframe a situation is an important skill that can transform your life and our world. When you see things the same way all the time, it’s easy to miss opportunities or beauty in unexpected places. Or even “not see or hear” the fun that is right in front of our eyes! Therefore, having a wider perspective gives a person more awareness which leads to a more memorable and fulfilling life. If you are only thinking about problems and sorrows, that’s exactly what are you going to attract in your life. If you change your perspective and start thinking about solutions and opportunities, you are sending vibrations to attract an abundance of them.
Perspective is the tool from which we can see life, situations, problems, people, from many different views. Perspective helps create understanding which can create a union where there was none. Understanding can break an impasse in situations as large as world war, as small as I’m sorry I hurt your feelings. Perspective is also earned through life experience. Perspective is walking in another’s shoes and absorbing how they feel and knowing how you feel after you go back to your own footwear. That perspective should be life changing.
An artist’s perspective can be seen in his work. A labourer can work with a positive perspective so that he develops wisdom from experience. If a person does hard labour, he can become extremely healthy, wise, kind hearted, and full of fun. The ability to reframe a situation is an important skill that can transform your life and our world. When you see things the same way all the time, it’s easy to miss opportunities or beauty in unexpected places. Or even “not see or hear” the fun that is right in front of our eyes! Therefore, having a wider perspective gives a person more awareness which leads to a more memorable and fulfilling life.
If you are only thinking about problems and sorrows, that’s exactly what are you going to attract in your life. If you change your perspective and start thinking about solutions and opportunities, you are sending vibrations to attract an abundance of them. Thich Nhat Hanh explains that most of our suffering comes from the nature of our perceptions. He indicates that in our daily life we are seldom free from our feelings, emotions, wrong perceptions, and mental formations. We’re like a leaf floating on the ocean, with the waves pushing us back and forth. We don’t have sovereignty over the situation; we allow ourselves to be pulled away by our feelings and perceptions.
When we are stressed, or experience stress for a significant period of time, it can affect our perspective, creating a negative bias. Therefore, we focus more heavily on the worst case-scenario or the negative view point of a situation. Without meaning to, we zoom into all the things that do not work out, missing some of the wonderful things happening around us. This can leave us feeling that everything is wrong, and leave us blinkered to the balance.
Sometimes things appear to be big, but in the big picture, it is actually something small. On the contrary, sometimes things appear small but when you relate it to the big picture, it may cause a lot more harm than you think. Let’s look at an analogy. When you fail a certain subject in an examination, from your own perspective, you’re a failure. You make it such a big deal and you feel that your whole life has come crashing down. You go into depression and lose all hope. But if you see the big picture, you will realise that life is full of ups and downs and that failure is just one small hiccup along the way. Trials and tribulations are part of the journey; it is not the end of the road. Everybody faces it. It’s inevitable.
But that doesn’t mean life is hopeless. There are still many more opportunities out there. There is always hope for something better. There is always a blessing, a hidden agenda when something happens. We may not know the reason now and we may never know the wisdom of it at all. Failure does not necessarily mean a bad thing. So, don’t be so disheartened when you face failure because it may just be the beginning of your journey to success. Perspective helps us to understand situations from other positions, to consider other beliefs, experiences and view-points. This gives us a better understanding and greater empathy. It reduces bias, judgement and reduces conflict.
Taking time to keep things in perspective allows us to develop a better understanding of things, see a problem or challenge from different angles to develop a better knowledge, to evaluate the importance of something, to keep worries or thoughts in perspective, let go of judgement and focus on facts, keep things in a more balanced viewpoint, see the strengths and weaknesses / good and bad / positive and negative, allows us to react rationally and considerately rather than impulsively, supports us to develop a more accurate idea of where things sit, be objective and unbiased
When we develop a clearer perspective of something it allows us to avoid judgement, reduce stress, respond constructively and not impulsively, develop deeper empathy, gain greater clarity, personal growth, learning opportunities
Perspective-taking allows us to see the world through another person’s eyes, fostering empathy and understanding. This improves communication and strengthens relationships. Considering multiple perspectives helps us identify different angles of a problem, leading to more creative and effective solutions. Exposure to different viewpoints can challenge our preconceived notions and biases, promoting more objective thinking. Reflecting on our own perspective helps us understand our own biases and how they influence our judgments and decisions. Shifting our perspective can lead to new insights and opportunities for personal development and resilience. Embracing different perspectives fosters tolerance and understanding, creating a more harmonious and inclusive environment. In essence, cultivating a wide range of perspectives is vital for personal, interpersonal, and societal well-being.
How can we maintain perspective when it feels like things are spinning out of control? Here are some suggestions. One of the best ways to develop and maintain perspective is to read a lot, including classics of philosophy and literature as well as religious or spiritual texts.
Think ahead five or ten years and imagine looking back on your current situation. That can help us see it in the larger sweep of our life so we don’t blow it out of proportion. One can lean on family, trusted friends, colleagues, or a mentor. That way, one can connect with others about what’s going on and hear their views on things.
Distancing oneself from the situation helps a lot. We can do that conceptually, by looking at it from another person’s perspective, keeping in mind that bad things happen to all of us, and that’s okay. It’s the nature of life. We should be clear about what we can and can’t control.
Recalling one’s capabilities also helps. Think of times when you overcame challenges in the past. Why should this time be any different? Start working on solutions instead of worrying so much about problems. With small but steady steps, you’ll start to see that your problems are probably more manageable than you thought initially.
Go into the nature, go on a hike, get out on a lake or into a forest. Feel the sun on your face and breathe in the air while taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of our bustling world. Contemplate the vastness of the cosmos and observe the intricate mesh of nature and life with reverence and awe. “They will forget the rush and strain of all the other weeks of the year, and for a short time at least, the days will be good for their bodies and good for their souls. Once more they will lay hold of the perspective that comes to those who every morning and every night can lift their eyes up to Mother Nature.” (Theodore Roosevelt)
Pausing to think of all the blessings in your life can help you avoid excess negativity and keep the positive things in your life front and centre in your thoughts. Prayer can help you tune into a divine perspective. Attending religious services can connect you with ancient scriptures and teachings—and the importance of viewing life from a sacred perspective. Meditation will help you train your mind to be more present, focused, and still, with a calm and clear awareness of the present moment, which in turn can help you avoid anxious reactions to life’s vicissitudes. Ultimately, when you maintain perspective you’re able to weather storms better and keep your focus on what’s most important. Getting good at having and keeping perspective will serve you very well in life.
Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but in seeing with new eyes. Today, take time to clear your lenses so you can view life from a higher perspective.
Bhushan Lal Razdan, formerly of the Indian Revenue Service, retired as Director General of Income Tax (Investigation), Chandigarh. Post-retirement, he is actively associated with medical, educational, cultural and heritage issues and joined various societies and trusts to promote these objectives. Occasionally he contributes articles of contemporary relevance in Newspapers and Magazines. He is also the Chairman of Vitasta Health Care Trust.
