Perspective Is Everything

Do you remember hearing the story about the blind men and an elephant each of whom were exploring an elephant for the first time? As each men claiming their understanding of the mammal's various body parts from different directions, they started to give different descriptions. None of the blind men are wrong with their analysis, because each was perfectly describing the body part that they touched and felt. — They all took their past experiences and translate what they know to be true of their reality and labeling it as such.

This story perfectly articulates, how a limited perspective can produce completely false conclusions. The men believed that they understood the situation, which led each of them to a mistaken conclusion, and they missed the big picture. Remember, the men were blind, not deaf and mute. They could have figured this out by honestly talking and listening to each other, learning and adding to their perspectives so they can all be aware of the truth of the whole. — Not listening to and not communicating with others can produce dangerously wrong conclusions.

When we hear the story about the blind men, the initial reaction is to say, “How silly; I would never do that. I look into things thoroughly, and, after all, I'm not blind.” Oh Yes we are. Unconscious biases, believing people, facts and figures, simply because they all play to our preconceived notions, and not seeking out thoughtful sources with whom we disagree is being just as blind as the men in the story. Sooner or later, all the dots will lead to conclusions that are just as wrong as theirs. We see what we can see without paying much attention–if any–to what others are observing and believing. And when we do pay attention, it is often to dismiss and insult.

“Honest Disagreement Is Often A Good Sign Of Progress” – Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

The same applies to decision making process. When we have limited data and information, we don’t get the whole picture. And, the same is true in reverse — often when you get the big picture, you miss out on all the parts that go into its creation. This phenomenon is readily apparent everywhere in the world.

There are forces out there, who tries to falsify things and completely change the perspective as a whole. So don’t get blindfold during the decision-making process, everything we see and hear are filtered by our thoughts and ideas. We are not the best at being accurate — we are imperfect beings. But if we understand our weakness and our failings, we can overcome these errors and make better decisions.

“Stop Assuming And Start Questioning Your Reality”