Do You See What I See? Oh. Wait. That's Right--You Can't!
I recently posted a video on my other blog about an optical illusion of a 3-D cube floating in the air. (If you haven't seen it, go ahead and click on that link. I'll wait right here until you get back. I promise!) Lines on the walls were placed in a certain way so that if you were standing in just the right spot in the room, you could see the floating cube. If you stood anywhere else in the room, you could only see the lines on the walls.
I've been thinking about that cube illusion and how the principle behind it can be applied to the way two people can have very different views of the same situation. We each of us see the world around us through our own filters and prejudices. We make judgments and decisions based on our past experiences, on what we have been taught, and on what we think we see. The trouble is we can only see a very small part of what is the total reality.
As a result, there may be times when we are absolutely certain that we are right about something while others we disagree with are also absolutely certain that they are right. It is entirely possible both are correct, or that both are partially correct, or even that both believe they are right, but in actuality, they are completely wrong.
I am reminded of the story about the blind men and the elephant. In that story according to Wikipedia, "In various versions of the tale, a group of blind men (or men in the dark) touch an elephant to learn what it is like. Each one touches a different part, but only one part ... They then compare notes on what they felt, and learn they are in complete disagreement. The story is used to indicate that reality may be viewed differently depending upon one's perspective, suggesting that what seems an absolute truth may be relative due to the deceptive nature of half-truths."
More from Wikipedia: "The blind man who feels a leg says the elephant is like a pillar; the one who feels the tail says the elephant is like a rope; the one who feels the trunk says the elephant is like a tree branch; the one who feels the ear says the elephant is like a hand fan; the one who feels the belly says the elephant is like a wall; and the one who feels the tusk says the elephant is like a solid pipe." Each man is correct from his perspective, but none of them can see the whole picture.
The cube illusion is the same way. Unless you are standing in the correct spot in the room, you can not see the cube, you can only see the lines on the wall. When I am in disagreement with someone, I try to remember that they view the world through their eyes and from their vantage point, not mine. Their frame of reference for any given situation is bound to be different from the one that I hold.
When in disagreement with another, the best possible solution is to communicate with one another and share the information that you have. Shared experiences through communication shed light on things we haven't or can't experience for ourselves. For many people, the initial reaction to someone who disagrees with us is to be angry. Perhaps instead of becoming angry because they are different than we are, it would be better to look at the situation as a possible learning experience where we can broaden our horizons and deepen our compassion for others by discovering more about them.
The next time I disagree with someone, I am going to try to remind myself to think of that cube illusion. Perhaps if I "switch places in the room" with the person who disagrees with me, we will both view things in a new way. When it comes to trying to figure out the big picture, I think that tolerance and acceptance of and patience with others will be much more beneficial to me than being angry about the fact that they think differently from me.
I've been thinking about that cube illusion and how the principle behind it can be applied to the way two people can have very different views of the same situation. We each of us see the world around us through our own filters and prejudices. We make judgments and decisions based on our past experiences, on what we have been taught, and on what we think we see. The trouble is we can only see a very small part of what is the total reality.
As a result, there may be times when we are absolutely certain that we are right about something while others we disagree with are also absolutely certain that they are right. It is entirely possible both are correct, or that both are partially correct, or even that both believe they are right, but in actuality, they are completely wrong.
I am reminded of the story about the blind men and the elephant. In that story according to Wikipedia, "In various versions of the tale, a group of blind men (or men in the dark) touch an elephant to learn what it is like. Each one touches a different part, but only one part ... They then compare notes on what they felt, and learn they are in complete disagreement. The story is used to indicate that reality may be viewed differently depending upon one's perspective, suggesting that what seems an absolute truth may be relative due to the deceptive nature of half-truths."
More from Wikipedia: "The blind man who feels a leg says the elephant is like a pillar; the one who feels the tail says the elephant is like a rope; the one who feels the trunk says the elephant is like a tree branch; the one who feels the ear says the elephant is like a hand fan; the one who feels the belly says the elephant is like a wall; and the one who feels the tusk says the elephant is like a solid pipe." Each man is correct from his perspective, but none of them can see the whole picture.
The cube illusion is the same way. Unless you are standing in the correct spot in the room, you can not see the cube, you can only see the lines on the wall. When I am in disagreement with someone, I try to remember that they view the world through their eyes and from their vantage point, not mine. Their frame of reference for any given situation is bound to be different from the one that I hold.
When in disagreement with another, the best possible solution is to communicate with one another and share the information that you have. Shared experiences through communication shed light on things we haven't or can't experience for ourselves. For many people, the initial reaction to someone who disagrees with us is to be angry. Perhaps instead of becoming angry because they are different than we are, it would be better to look at the situation as a possible learning experience where we can broaden our horizons and deepen our compassion for others by discovering more about them.
The next time I disagree with someone, I am going to try to remind myself to think of that cube illusion. Perhaps if I "switch places in the room" with the person who disagrees with me, we will both view things in a new way. When it comes to trying to figure out the big picture, I think that tolerance and acceptance of and patience with others will be much more beneficial to me than being angry about the fact that they think differently from me.
