Are You The Bug Or The Windshield? It's All About Perspective

Whether the glass to you is half empty or whether it is half full has long been a test of optimism versus pessimism. But there is more to a person's answer than that.

Perhaps the person looking at the glass has an insatiable thirst; that person's answer may well be that the glass is only half full, while to him/herself it is lamented that half a glass of water would not quench his/her thirst.

But what if the person looking at the glass of water has had only brown, muddy water to drink for most of his/her life? What if, in this person's experience, water is usually drunk from a hand or the source itself, so that a glass seems a luxurious vessel to the viewer? Might that person not then see the glass as half full, and say so aloud to us, while thinking to his/herself how fortunate he/she is to view such a wonderment, and perhaps have the opportunity to sip the vital liquid?

Blues and greens are said to be soothing colors to the human psyche, but to persons who may have been locked in a room of blue, or told tragic news in a green room, those colors may evoke anything but calm and peace.

It is perspective that provides the shades of responses us humans give to ideas and events. It all depends on whom you ask, and then when you ask, where you ask, and what the life experiences have been of the person you ask. Wow, that's a lot to consider! You bet your bippy it is, but if you are interested in understanding another person, other people, that's exactly what you have to do. The saying "Walk a mile in my shoes" sums it up nicely.

Ride in the car with someone who enjoys the scenery or places no value on being rushed and you will probably hear comments made about other drivers on the road who "are in such a hurry" or "these kids today have no patience" or "no wonder there are so many accidents these days."

Take a ride in the car with someone whose entire life is on a tight schedule or who just received a phone call that a family member is ill; comments such as "get off the road grandpa" or "stay home if you don't know how to drive" or "no wonder there are so many accidents these days" will no doubt be heard as the driver tries to move down the road.

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