A million names, a million faces, all similarly different. The plurality of perspectives is only limited by the number of people with a perspective. While at the core, perspectives are often divided into two sides, the truth is perspectives are as unique as the individuals. Perspectives, you may think are simple; however, think how differently your perspective was when announcing your own engagement or hearing the announcement of your friend or more dramatically your child’s engagement.
When a person announces their own engagement, the perspective is most often joy and pride. However, at the announcement of another, such as a friend, or more dramatically your child’s engagement a multitude of perspectives can play out; joy or sorrow, happiness or dread, confidence or doubt. Our perspectives of other’s relationships and deeds are almost always much different than they would be should it be our own situation.
The plurality of perspectives plays out in courtrooms across the globe. In each court case, you have a judge, a prosecutor, a defense attorney and defendant, along with a jury, on occasion. In every court case, the perspectives are quite different; who’s perspective prevails determines the fate of a defendant. But what happens when attorneys must argue a perspective they do not hold?
This is often the core of appeals. Defendants who are financially challenged will have a much more difficult time swaying the perspective of another. Financial stability if often the core of how we are judged. Those who are financially stable are often considered to have a much more valuable perspective. I ask, why is that the more financially stable a person the more valuable their perspective?
Who’s opinion do you value the most? This can be answered with two questions; from who do you seek advice, and to whom do you answer? From whom you seek advice denotes a value of intelligence. To whom you answer denotes a value of finance. For each individual, where each value ranks in your moral compass is, in itself, a matter of perspective. Does one value intelligence more than money or money more than intelligence? The clear fact, money can not buy intelligence and intelligence does not guarantee financial success.
Perspectives are as different as the people who hold them.
Think about the assumption that people make decisions logically. From the perspective of most, we would say this is true. However, ask any mother, if her 16-year old who is expecting her first child, if her choice in baby daddy’s or even the choice to have a baby at 16 years old is logical. Thoughts on people who are making the decisions, logically, will mostly likely differ based on where they stand in the social structure.
Perspective is about not only about a person’s view but also about their position in a situation.
Using the example of a pregnant teen, from the teen’s perspective the pregnancy is a cause for celebration. However, for the mother of the teen girl, it may not be. And, what about the perspective of the expectant father and his parents? Is he happy or sad? Are his parents supportive or no?
Your location in the hierarchy dictates your thoughts and feelings.
