Sunday, December 16, 2007

Point of View

point of view n. pl. points of view
A manner of viewing things; an attitude.
A position from which something is observed or considered; a standpoint.
The attitude or outlook of a narrator or character in a piece of literature, a movie, or another art form.


I was discussing a subject with a friend today and our points of view were so different it was hard to believe. The exchange was not confrontational, but it perplexed me. Maybe it always will but one thing I took away from that conversation is that we can all look at the same thing, have different points of view and there can be many correct standpoints.

1 comment:

Rob said...

Ron,

I get what you're saying; each of us is an individual and, being the sum of our own individual experiences, no two points of view on a given subject will ever be the same. Some may approach similarity in points of view, but no two points of view will ever be identical.

However, I find something like many "correct" points of view to be somewhat problematic. Like a blog commenter telling a blogger "You are wrong", the word "correct" seems to be an absolutism to me. Speaking in absolutes often sparks heated emotionally driven "debates" (cf. www.ywbb.org for a multitutde of examples of that - and none of them positive). I really try nowadays not to use absolutes. Besides, in many matters, what we once held sacred or thought something was really worth defending or fighting for now pales in comparison to the loss of one's spouse. For me, the opposite is more true now, I guess, in terms of apathy. To paraphrase, I guess, there aren't really that many "hills I wish to die on" anymore.

That's not to say I have a given up my principles. But I am much more tolerant today (of many things) than I ever was before my late wife died.

Rob