It is tough to look at things from another’s perspective. So much goes into our point of view which in turn influences our behavior. We are influenced from various different sources such as biological make up, culture, personal experiences, ect. See this article that discusses how an individual's behavior can be complicated.
My dog’s have always helped remind me to try and look at things from other perspectives. Sure when I am walking them and it’s rainy weather and they are sniffing a patch of grass or a bush for what seems like and an eternity it easy for me to say come on you two let’s head home. But then I remember that they are probably wondering at times how I can stare at a computer screen for hours at a time(especially when no little critters are running around on it). In a dog’s world scent is the primary sense for them just like humans are primarily visual. To a dog they live in a world of smells. That patch of grass they are sniffing may contain tons of information. To them I would imagine it would be similar to checking Facebook or Twitter. And the rain may not bother them as much since they have a coat of fur. So for them standing out in the rain sniffing a patch of grass with scent markings from other animals is probably similar to us sitting inside watching the evening news or checking what’s trending. So most times I catch myself and stand in the rain and let them sniff their bush on the condition they allow me to blog of course :)
Human beings are so vastly different from one another and we share the same genes. Imagine how much of a different perspective you get from an animal that has a different biological make up. I always liked the story Temple Grandin relates in her book "Animals In Translation" of a lion being transported on a plane that was given a pillow to sleep on. The lion ate the pillow and died which was a sad outcome. But Temple's point that the lion isn’t going to know what to do with a pillow and will try to see if it can be eaten but he probably would have liked some grass or hay to comfortably lie down in was insightful. It wasn’t that the lion was stupid or did not want to be comfortable like a human would want it just had a different perspective than humans on how to go about doing that. We need to always step out of our own perspectives occasionally so we can realize the different ways to look at the world and come to a better understanding on how all the organisms that share this earth can get along. So I always welcome the opportunity to interact with humans and non-humans from different cultures and backgrounds and expand my horizons.
Our differences I also find highlight our commonalities. Our common desires to live life and follow our paths in the pursuit of what makes us happy. Animals and plants especially jolt you. By their vast differences they highlight the universal truths of living beings. Having a conversation on how we each see the world even without language I feel will help us better handle this mosaic we call life. Please feel free to share some unique perspectives or ways of doing things or looking at things. I would love to hear them and discuss :)
No comments:
Post a Comment