I’m thankful to be able to see sights. To be able to take in a nice sunset. To check out the view while driving on the bridge. To see colors of all kinds. To be experience rainbows in all its glory.
Colors are so beautiful in this world. And I am thankful that I am not blind and able to read words on a page. My favorite color has always been blue. I don’t know why. I just see it as a mellow and peaceful color, and it’s always been my top preference for whatever reason.
I feel like perspectives are a lot like colors. We tend to have coloring books with shapes and pictures and it is up to us to color in what we want. If you feel like coloring in blue, so be it. If you are more of a red kind of guy, then color in red. The possibilities and the combinations are endless.
So often in life, we are given an event and countless people color in their views of the world based on that one event. For example, there is a war going on as of this writing. Do you support the war? Or are you against it? Who do you see to be right or wrong? Who do you feel to be the good guy or the bad guy?
The questions can be quite political and sensitive. And it’s hard to get into the nitty gritty of it all. But, generally, people have a viewpoint. They have their own opinions that they want to be heard. And they color in what they see based on their experiences, their ideals, their identity.
It could be a beautiful color. It could be a gruesome color. Really depends on the eye of the beholder. So, life is all about different perspectives. What one sees as good, could be seen as bad from a completely different point of view.
In NYC, I live in a Democratic bubble. So, most of my friends and community members are Democrats I assume. But you go out of NYC and visit other areas of New York or even the USA, then you can see bubbles of Republicans arise as well.
It’s just like a coloring book. Some may color in blue. Others may color in red. Everyone brings in their unique perspective on life. There’s really no right or wrong. No up or down. No good or bad. It’s just what you want to see. What you feel. What you decide. It’s all up to you.
Just realize that your viewpoint is not the end all be all. There are billions of people on this planet. Each with their own unique coloring book. Each coloring life the way they see it. From their perspective. Rich or poor. Democrat or Republican. White or black. It doesn’t matter.
You will color in events and circumstances that surround you based on your opinions, your feelings, your emotions, and just based on how external events swirl around you. No one person is alike. Democrats will have their own unique coloring book. Republicans will have their own coloring book. Everyone will be trying to color things the way they see it.
And it’s hard to judge. I think the best we can do is be open-minded on various different points of views. Realize that people come from different cultures, backgrounds, personalities, environments, and communities. With each individual experience comes the way they see the world. And it’s just different - for better or worse.
I think about this ongoing war in Ukraine, and it is heartbreaking to see. It’s easy to label one party as good. And one party as evil. But life is a lot more dynamic than that. There are subtleties and intricacies and at the end of the day, I hope that there will be peace soon.
Even that event is a coloring book in itself. NATO views the situation in their way. Russia views the situation in their own way. Ukraine views the situation in its own way. The USA their way. And on and on and on. Everyone has their own points of view, and it’s hard to make a final judgment on what is right or what is wrong.
Don’t get me wrong though. It’s okay completely to see certain things as good or as evil. After all, you do need some form of moral baseline. But, just realize that that is still your own perspective on life. What one sees as good, may be seen as complete evil from another’s perspective. It’s really in the eye of the beholder - for better or worse.
I guess that’s what makes human beings so volatile. So vulnerable. So flawed. And unique in their own little way. The best I can say is to just try to see different viewpoints and don’t come to such a harsh judgment. Try to open your mind and see things from different angles.
Everyone is trying to do their best in this life. Everyone is trying to make ends meet. Everyone has their own lens on life. And colors life the way they see fit. Some may experience tragedy with grief. Some may experience it with resilience. Or both. Who knows! Just try to do your best to step out of the bubble and realize that we are a bunch of flawed individuals trying to make sense of this thing called life.
We are doing the best we can. And that is good enough.