Perspective is a funny thing. I tend to think I have great perspective, until I am forced to see from an angle I hadn’t before. In literal terms, it takes a trip to the eye doctor to show you how bad your eyesight is, and give you the lenses you need to see. Your ‘new sight’, in turn, gives birth to new joys of color and definition (unfortunately also spotting the wrinkles and white hairs developing all too quickly), perhaps safer travel, and a myriad of other experiences that may have been missed had you rather become accustomed to and comfortable with the previous blur.
In cultural terms, it takes stepping outside your comfort zone and your known habits, rituals and community to really see, feel, and even taste what is true in the lives of others. I recently heard the quote ‘you don’t know, what you don’t know, until you go’, and I am apt and ready to use it as a mission trip slogan for our college students.
But truly, I wonder at times how much I am missing because I stick to the lenses I know rather than trying to catch a glimpse through the lenses of my neighbor.Much ... Read More »
