My family went hiking the other day. The hike started out as a rather rambling walk on a torn up mining road. Then as it made switchbacks up the mountain we walked through the woods, through meadows covered with wild flowers, and finally climbed to where we could see the mountains emerge in all their glory. When we climbed higher, game trails provided flat places to put our feet as we followed a ridge up to a peak. I noticed something as I hiked; what I saw depended on where I stood. At one point a relatively small rise in the ridge where I stood blocked the majestic White Cloud Mountains. How could something so small block something so large? But as I continued hiking my view changed, the mountains loomed large and beautiful while the rise had shrunk to nearly nothing.
It seems simple. Perspective, of course, is nothing new to any of you. Perspective comes into play when you stand just right so that the sun isn’t in your eyes. Perspective suggests that hoeing a row of vegetables from both sides ensures a more thorough job. Science names this phenomenon parallax; accurate visual observation requires factoring in where you are standing.
This idea affects relationships and conflict too. What I see or hear or think depends on the angle from which I look. There are many aspects of life that affect our perspective. For example, our families and friends; those people with whom we spend time, affect how we see the world. Our memories, past experience, and education help us make decisions. Even our race and our gender affect our perceptions. When we listen to each other it seems easy and natural to gauge and evaluate what we hear by our own angle. Evaluation is central to forming values and living by experience. It is a necessary act, in its place. I wonder though, do we take the time to really listen in order to understand? Metaphorically speaking, do we miss a view of mountains because of hills? Do we miss weeds because we do not bother to change our angle? It is easy to hear only in order to form a response. But what would happen if we listened for the other’s angle? What if we took a few steps back for perspective? Can we stand just right in order to glimpse another’s view? What if we worked toward that first, before any evaluation or any decision? Perhaps it is time consuming and indecisive. But maybe this is the path to understanding even without agreement; unity in the face of diversity.
