Perspective

So, what got me thinking about perspective? While sitting at my computer one day last week, the background TV was on an episode of Life After People on Story Television and they were specifically discussing what would happen to Detroit’s buildings 40 years after a population disappearance. They kept mentioning how the harsh weather extremes would affect the buildings. Now I live in Canada directly across the river in Windsor. I guess if one lives in the United States, Detroit’s weather might be considered harsh. But in Canada, we think of Windsor weather as being mild. We’re basically the southernmost area of Canada. Canadians retire here because of the wonderful weather. It’s all a matter of perspective.

A homeless person might see someone with a small house and a job as rich; whereas a corporate mogul with a large home might see that same person as poor. It’s all a matter of perspective.

We have a little 12 pound dog, to whom we give elk antlers to chew on rather than bones. They are his treasure that he constantly moves around the house to new hiding spot under throw pillows, behind various things, or in amongst the shoes in a closet.

If Putin could see the Ukraine from the viewpoint of a Ukrainian parent who’s lost their son/daughter, perhaps he would stop his horrific war. If Netanyahu could see the Gaza Strip from the eyes of an injured child in a hospital with no supplies, perhaps he might change his actions. If Trump could…well, never mind. I don’t think he has an ounce of empathy to see anything differently. If a person cannot see a different perspective, their understanding of a particular issue is limited and therefore incomplete.

Many years ago I had the great fortune to attend a two-day seminar given by world-renowned strategic thinking expert, Edward de Bono. His concepts are simple, but you could hear a pin drop for two days straight because the ideas and explanations that came out of his mouth were nothing short of brilliant. The man who created the term ‘lateral thinking’ told us stories of how inventions often occurred from error, and the error caused the inventor to think “what if?”, or look at the problem from a different perspective. Edward de Bono led large corporations and government agencies through perilous events and wrote 85 books – the most popular of which is Six Thinking Hats. The concept is simple enough for children to use and yet captivating enough for adults. It’s easy to remember. Each hat has a different colour, representing different perspectives. I highly recommend Six Thinking Hats and his other books.

Sadly, Dr. de Bono passed away a few years ago. Nevertheless his ideas are relevant today, if only people were aware. It’s all a matter of perspective.