The True Art of Perspective and Clarification

The other day a group of friends gathered for a whine and cheese party for some occasion...or celebration or liaison.

During the evening, we chatted (that’s like talking except much more superficial) about many things, but they all came back to the core value that your opinions and beliefs were based on your “perspective.” Perspective is a way of regarding situations, facts, objects, etc, and judging their relative significance or demeanor.                                                      

For example, the English dictionary does not define the difference between these two words...complete and finished. Most college professors say there is no difference between complete and finished. But being a Cyber-philosopher, I beg to differ because there is a clear defined difference between complete and finished, but it best visualized when put in the context of perspective.  

For example, when you marry the right woman, you are "complete." When you marry the wrong one, you are "finished." When the right one catches you with the wrong one, you are "COMPLETELY FINISHED!"

A weatherman on TV reports that the “winds are calm today.” Now, depending on your perspective, if winds are not blowing wouldn’t that mean that winds are not actually winds, but just plain air? I know it is important to put handicapped parking spots near businesses for easier access for those with a physical disability. But depending on your perspective, why would you put them by a roller rink?

Many salespeople will tell you that your certified pre-owned vehicle (not a used car, mind you) is “as clean as a whistle.” However depending on your perspective, aren’t whistles full of spit and saliva? Many parents will tell you that their adolescent children at 2P.M. are “sleeping like a baby”. And depending on your perspective, don’t most babies sleep in short bursts of time and make wee-wee (a truly clinical term) in their pants?

I think people should explain more during their conversations with each other! It is not that people don’t say what they mean, it is just that the English language lends itself to needing much more clarification.

It may be possible to “be rubbed the wrong way” by a new massage therapist, but sometimes more clarification is necessary. It is possible for wedding photographer to turn your experiences from a negative to a positive, but when the person says that it is policy that they stand behind “every shot they take,” more clarification is necessary, because you can’t use a camera by standing in front of it, silly.

So in the future, remember while we bustle through our hectic lives like rhinos in a Bed Bath and Beyond store, that clarification and perspective will be prudent especially when it comes to trying to figure out important things, like the difference between toilet paper and bathroom tissue.