Amateur Eyes

Difference in perspectives

Perspective by any definition is a point of view. This, by default, can’t help be influenced and even manipulated by our circumstance and past experiences. If a person lives their entire life in a place, when a new neighbor comes along they will notice new things, for they are seeing the place for the first time and with new eyes. Unless there is a massive construction where even traffic jams happen then usually the renovations or a new restaurant, will probably go unnoticed. Personally my mother raised my brothers and I to be always alert to danger. If we are in the car talking, then we must have the engine running so if danger arises you put it in drive and leave, is just an example of how I was raised. One would think my mother was a police officer or a con woman but she’s actually an extremely religious, hard workingwoman. The reasons behind these kinds of precautions are just because of her protective side. There we see an example of what can manipulate the way we observe and by relation our perspective.
The best example of difference in perspective is religion. There is one book and over 3 different interpretations based on perspective alone. In class we discussed the first chapter on the book “On Looking” by Alexandra Horowitz which had to do with difference in perspective and what we might miss by concentrating on everything. As humans we can’t experience everything around us at the same time. As I write I have music on, and I know its on but I do not listen to it when I really write. It becomes background noise you don’t pay attention to. When you hear but don’t listen you are taking away from that noise and giving importance to another aspect of what’s happening around you, in my case its my writing.
When you go around the block a car may pass that is blaring an urban tyoe music and that may catch your attention but maybe your friend is caught by the model or sound of the engine the car that drove past. Likes and dislikes may influence what you choose to see and your perspective on it. You think the owner of the car has terrible music taste and your friend sees that he has an amazing taste in cars. Perspective has the best ye old time example with the exercise “is the glass half full or half empty”. In fact this perspective exercise is one that can change on a daily if even an hourly basis depending on your mood. In the end there is no one perspective, not even in the most basic and trivial of things. But there is a middle ground in which opinions can grow for the best.