The I of the Beholder

Perspective is a great thing because it allows a person to survey a situation and then make an assessment about what is happening. Two people can view or participate in an identical experience, yet they might extract different meanings or conclusions. The interesting thing about perspective is that it is a compilation of numerous things and it evolves as time goes on; a person’s background and history are two key outliers influencing the way reality is perceived.

If a person has grown up in poverty and understands what it feels like to be hungry, then a hot meal on a cold, February evening might mean something different to a person who eats the same thing on the same day but has never missed a meal. Same caloric intake and ingredients but a different appreciation. And this is not limited to food. The principle is the same no matter what scenario is involved or what type of person is included into the mix.

The things that many of us take for granted because they are a sedentary part of our lives might be the very things that others are overly appreciative for. My challenge for all of us is to reexamine our existence and take an inventory of what we have. I would surmise that we all have numerous things and items in common but the one great distinguishing factor is the level of appreciation. Thankfulness should not be dependent on the lack of something; should we only be grateful when we experience something that supplements a need?

Every day I am an environment where people have few possessions, yet a perception of the world that makes me call into account my grumblings and dissatisfactions with things that have only become a nuisance because I have never been without them.