Perspective is Everything!

A Facebook friend recently posted a very interesting video. A former CIA officer was talking about how everyone thinks that they’re the good guys. How the U.S. thinks ISIS and Al Qaeda are the "bad guys", but from the perspective of ISIS and Al Qaeda, we (the US) are the bad guys.  We believe we are trying to save our fellow man from people who want to oppress them, enslave them, rape them, kill them.  They believe we are invaders who are trying to force them to accept our way of life, our way of thinking.  I don’t know if I agree with everything she said in the video.  But it did make me think about how we each perceive things.

Watching the video brought to mind The Walking Dead. Yes, the TV show. One that I happen to be completely obsessed with!! So it’s no surprise that pretty much anything I see or hear could potentially make me think of TWD! (For those who are TWD fans, but aren't up to date, stop reading now, because there will be spoilers ahead. For those who don't watch the show ... Seriously???? How can you have not watched a single episode of the best show ever on television??? Go to Netflix right this instant and start catching up!!) But I digress ...

So, at the end of the most current season of TWD, we were introduced to a new character. An EVIL bad guy named Negan. Our group (because we, as fans, are an extension of the characters on TV) really didn’t know much about Negan and his group (called the Saviors). There was no real "meeting of the minds" between the two groups. Well, except for a brief “meeting”, where some Saviors ambushed some of our group and were going to kill one of our group. But aside from that one negative encounter, we didn’t know what they thought, or what they wanted.

Our group also spoke with a 3rd group, who claimed that Negan and the Saviors were bad news. Well, that was good enough for us! We needed to hear no more!  So what did we do? We went on the offensive and murdered a bunch of the Saviors … IN THEIR SLEEP!! (btw, the word savior is synonymous with redeemer, protector, deliverer … so …hmmm … pause for thought …. Ok, enough of that.  Back to the blog.)

Now, from our perspective, Negan and his group are EVIL!! We had every right to take precautions and (offensively) protect ourselves. But if you look at it from the point of view of the Saviors, they just got attacked, for no reason that they were aware of, while they were SLEEPING!  So to them, aren’t we the evil ones?

Of these two examples I’ve given (the Facebook video and TWD story line), one is an extreme, politically charged situation and the other is fictions, but also extreme. However, we can just as easily adjust the story keeping the same basic concept for everyday life ... perspective is everything!

How many times have you gotten into a fight with a friend or family member, and it’s all because you each saw the same situation in completely differing views? We've all heard "There are 3 sides to every story.  One person's side, the other person's side, and the truth somewhere in between. They say there really is no black and white. It's all varying shades of gray. First of all, who is this “they” that everyone always talks about?  But more importantly, is that really true?  Is everything a shade of gray?

Personally, I believe that there is definitely black and white, right and wrong, good and evil. But this is mainly true on an individual, personal level. I know what I consider right, how I judge myself to be good, how I want to live my life. And I tend to think that what I do, the choices I make are the right ones. The best ones.

But are they? Would someone else consider my choices right or wrong?  Good or evil?  Is what’s right for me the best thing, the right thing for someone else?

As I get older, I realize that not everyone is going to see things the same way that I do, and that I have to have an open mind.  But, also, as I get older, I get more set in my ways, and it’s hard to always see other perspectives as being valid.  So it’s really a tug of war! And one I do struggle with from time to time.

But while difficult, the thing is, the very least we can do is to listen to each other.  And I mean to actually really hear what each other is saying.  No putting up defensive walls, no thinking we know what the other is saying based on our own preconceptions. Just truly hear each other!

Look, we may not solve the world’s problems, end war, or stamp out oppression.  But we can at least start by listening to each other!

*Btw, for any of you who are TWD fans, we have quite a while before we find out who Negan actually killed at the end of season 6.  I’m pretty sure that my theory is the right one.  So if you want to discuss your theories, I’m all ears!!  Although, I may not think you’re right!  ;-)