Perspective is important. That is, how we look at a person or an object depends on where we are standing, what we notice from that position, and the conclusions we make. It is the relationship between where I am in that moment... and The Other.
These thoughts were going through my mind on a recent flight home. The cloud formations changed very dramatically over time and the distance I was flying. At one point, the clouds were thick and foreboding; later on they were cotton-candy puffy; then they became stratified and separated where I could see water and land below.
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| What do you see right now? (Photo: Cloud Formations - Larry Gardepie) |
Time, distance, and other conditions changed what I was seeing and experiencing. If I were asked to describe what was visible, it would depend... perspectives can change!
Last month I posted a blog, Untapped Re's (click on link to read the earlier reflection). It contained a photo I took at Pacific Grove: I was reminiscing about my childhood and a recent visit to Salinas and Monterey Bay. Then, I came across the following aerial view of the Pacific Grove coastline: I had never seen the Purple Carpet from above... a Perspective Unknown before this chance encounter!
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| What perspectives are unknown to you? (Photo credit: Purple Carpet, Pacific Grove, CA - Facebook) |
In a similar experience, I was on a 7-hour sailing excursion along Kauai's western coast. The ship's captain stayed close to shore to minimize the rocking and rolling of our vessel. She described the Na Pali Coast, its history and culture, its sacredness to the Hawaiian people. We were taken back in time, introduced to a different way of living.
During the return trip, the captain navigated us farther away from the coast. The heights of the cliffs, the colors and shadows, and the expansiveness of what we were seeing took on new and more spectacular dimensions -- further away from our earlier and limited land-views!
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| Do you pull back to see a larger view? (Photo: Na Pali Coast, Kauai - Larry Gardepie) |
Aerial views and unsimilar perspectives invite us to consider:
- Are we forgiving in our thoughts when a new perspective is revealed?
- Do we hold tightly to our conclusions and miss opportunities to see differently?
- Can we rise above or step back to see from another vantage point?
May this week provide situations where we can question long-held beliefs and hold-lightly to the possibility that Truth is revealing itself anew.
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| Larry Gardepie (click on link for website) |
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