Imagine a room with glass walls, and that you are standing on the outside looking in. What do you see? You see the room and its contents from your current perspective, of course. Yet this is clearly not the only perspective. Simply walking around the outside of the room will change your view so, for instance, the back of someone’s head from one angle becomes the face of a person from another. The front of the room becomes the back depending on where you are positioned.
Most of us are able to understand this idea of shifting physical perspective, and know that it is possible to hold multiple perspectives in mind quite easily.
However, when it comes to listening to and accepting many points of view or different aspects of a problem or situation, it becomes more difficult.
What gets in the way of our holding multiple perspectives of a problem or situation at once? What prevents us from seeing both…and rather than either…or? What keeps us holding fast to a perspective that feels safest or easiest rather than challenging ourselves to consider an alternative view even if it may feel really uncomfortable, is better for ourselves or others, or is the most appropriate one for right now?
As we gain understanding of our own ‘lens’ on the world and how it can hold us back from maintaining multiple perspectives, the world of ‘both…and’ becomes so much more accessible and we can see very different opportunities, pathways and solutions as a result.
Gayle
Photo by Paul Skorupskas on Unsplash
