Monday, September 3, 2012

Guest Post: What's Your Perspective?


A short essay by Youngest Daughter...  

Relativity by M.C. Escher


This artwork by Escher is the picture to which I will be referring throughout this paper. If you have any opinions, feel free to send them, but please, be gentle. I don’t want to get overloaded.

The first thing that you notice about this picture is its position. Which way is up? From which perspective are you to look at it? Which perspective do the people in the picture look at it from? Well, I think that was Escher’s point. I think that he was trying to make a point about perspective, and it’s up to us to think of what that point might be.

What I think, though, is that he’s saying that while we all have a different perspective, we are also blinded by that perspective, and are not even willing to see otherwise. If you take a look at the people in the picture, then you can see that they all have different perspectives. Some perspective differences are large, such as seeing things from two different staircases. Other perspectives are relatively close, such as sitting at the same table together. Nonetheless, every single character in this scene has their own perspective, their own way of seeing things…. if they can see at all. Look closely at those people and you’ll see that not one of them has a face (or eyes for that matter) to see their perspective or other’s perspective. All of their faces are covered.

It is the same with us people who do have faces. We are blinded by the opinions we are raised with, and are not willing to see anything but those opinions. However, if we truly open our minds, and leave ourselves with no judgment within us, then we are finally able to take off the veil that covers our faces, and look for real to see what’s right in front of us.

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So, Dear Reader, what is your perspective?  What is right in front of you?


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ooooh--like your thoughts on perspective! I used to coach debate, so that helped me consider both sides of an issue which is a helpful life skill.

Joanie said...

I tried sharing a different perspective at a manager meeting last week; it didn't go well.