It’s All About Perspective

We all look at the world differently – through our own little silo
– impacted by past events and our present circumstances.
 
This idea bopped me on the head as I listened to my Calm App one morning as Tamara Levitt related this tale:
 

Three blind men come across an elephant. 
Curious to learn just what an elephant is,
 they each put their hand out to touch the animal.
 
One man touches the elephant’s trunk –
 and deduces that the elephant is like a thick snake
 
One man touches the elephant’s ears  –
 and deduces that the elephant is like a fan
 
One man touches the elephant’s thigh –
 and deduces the elephant is like a wall

 
Each man then insists his perspective is the correct one, thus leading to heated arguments.
 
The three blind men were projecting their perspective – their limited perspective – on the others, only relying on their own sliver of experience.
 
They were not wrong, but their assumptions were based on just ONE of the elephant’s parts. 
 
How often do we make assumptions about the whole person based on just one part of a person’s being: income, beliefs, wardrobe, career, age, interests, political leanings, how proficient they are at Pickle Ball? 
 
Maybe it’s time for all of us to consider the truth from as many different angles as we can. 
 
This weekend, while celebrating Easter and Passover, we have an opportunity to go even further. We can honor our differences and emphasize our commonalities in order to more clearly see the big picture.
 
Each day in the news cycle, the Ukrainians, stripped of all normalcy, are so vividly  demonstrating to the world that which really matters to them:

Living peacefully and safely, 
surrounded by family and friends, 
in a community they love, 
doing work and deeds that have value

That’s the Big Picture.
 
Today is Good Friday, followed by Easter on Sunday. Today at sundown, is the beginning of Passover. And though we come from different traditions and view our lives through a different lens, our concerns, like the besieged Ukrainians, are universal. 
 
Let’s all remember that. 

Keep Preserving Your Bloom,
 
Iris Ruth Pastor