Perspective Two

A free thought article. A thousand words or twenty minutes and it’s finished.

When viewing a picture or building, there are specific compositional rules which make the image pleasing. Other ideas regarding colour and shade add to the aesthetic value of the creative art. The perspective of the picture makes it memorable or soon forgotten. Unlike created objects, we humans can distort the visual perspective of how others see us, and ‘face value’ is often erroneous.

Inner strength is enhanced by the ‘Philosophy of Selfness’ – The concept dictates that by discovering who we are, and rectifying our faults and honing our positive attributes, we will become more confident and able to find happiness. This implies that we will benefit our selves and our interactions with others by searching for a deeper understanding of ourselves and those we meet.

In a previous article, I revealed my preference is to learn to understand the terrain and environment and then ‘go with the flow’ of the situation or circumstances. My choice is not to have a fixed opinion or attitude; the preference is to understand other peoples points of view with an open mind even though their ideas, beliefs or choices may not fit in with the consensus or moral protocols. There is no need to embellish a design or the method of another human; the key is to understand the technique and possibly adapt them to your own needs when required. It is possible also to dismiss a belief or system if it seems to have little or no merit, I likened this to rocks in the river, one can either navigate around them or hit the danger. For example, many times in life we are warned of interaction with certain people, we ignore the warning and later regret failing to listen to sound advise: preferring to trust to instinct.

To explain further, we could consider the use of analogue film cameras as an example of the process: In the days when film cameras were used professionally, the photographer chose the right tool for the commission. He would not use a view camera for journalism. She would not use a big studio RB67 for a reportage assignment. The photographer would have a deep understanding of different film and processes and use the correct combination for each job. She would understand the need to use every square millimetre of the negative, to get the best possible quality for the client.

Today, the photographer uses a digital camera and gets better results than using emulsion. And one camera will cover most assignments. Of course, some will argue this is inaccurate. They are welcome to their perspective. From years of working in the industry, I can state it is impossible to differentiate between a 20X30 inch print made with my Hasselblad SWC or my Canon M3. The 22mm lens of the Canon is as useful as the 38mm Biogon lens of the Hasselblad. There is no interest in arguing the point; the old camera is bettered by modern technology. Therefore my choice is to utilise the contemporary technology and accept the change by entering the flow of progress. A photographer may read my assessment and still chose to buy the Hasselblad, darkroom equipment and learn the art of wet photography. He then discovers the reality for himself. We chose to navigate around the rock or hit it; ultimately all is a personal choice or following intuition. I would not argue against the beliefs of those who think my statement to be inaccurate. My appraisal is unbiased and made by using both cameras.

Accepting other peoples perspectives means there is no need to argue the point. If they feel the analogue or Hasselblad is better that is fine by me, I have a life to live, not an argument to prove. This example is used because the ‘result’ is the judge. What do I mean by ‘result’? It is the 20X30 print which is the ‘result’ and again, I state you could not tell the difference between images taken with the two cameras mentioned. The visual evidence is sufficient to prove the point, and as already mentioned there will be ‘experts’ who will dispute the evidence. Belief overrules reality. The false perception is not a problem to those who accept the human mind is fallible. Later in the article, I will suggest allowing others to have their flawed perception or opinion, advantages those with a better thought through assessment of the facts.

With people (not situations or reviews) the perception is different. See a man in jeans, long hair and a smile; he is considered as carefree and easy going man. Possibly an artist, school teacher or carpenter. We could consider another man, well dressed, clean and sharp cut hair. How does the perception change if we name the two people? Let us call the man in jeans Richard Branson and the man in a suit Geoff XXXX who is arriving at court for sentencing for defrauding millions from shareholders. In this instance, the visual perspective betrays the reality of the personality.

I meet a well-known celebrity who is loved by many people. It did not take long before realising the individual is an arrogant, greedy snob. Now, you may say ‘That may be your opinion’ My reply is that I did not comment as to my opinion. At the bar, after the meeting, the universal consensus of other people involved was ‘not a nice human’. From that meeting and to this day, I am unable to watch a film with ‘the star’; the half-hour soured the reputation.

The Philosophy of Selfness asks that we should reflect carefully on how people regard our ability and persona. Their perspective of us maybe not be distorted by ego, or then again their ego and perspective may fog the accuracy of their perception. When we make assumptions based on gut feelings or personal bias, the probability is we lose connections which could help our future. It is suggested that, by allowing those who use flawed or inaccurate perspectives as their modus operandi, we advantage ourselves. Going with the flow of consensus and avoiding the obstacles of flawed perspective is a beneficial practice and route to security.

For an example when Liz (my partner) and myself started to organise reasonably large Well-Being shows. There were some who demeaned our ethos and reviewed our terms and conditions from their perspectives. Because they could not see the reasons for the clauses, and the clauses were opposed to their viewpoints, they chose to make personal attacks on our character. In the long term, their sleights worked to our advantage as many people decided to work with us in a healthy and thriving community. The reason they joined ‘The Community’ was often because of the clarity of the rules. Of course, those who questioned the wisdom were accurate in their perception. Although, their actions and comments are a clear testimony of their persona. The consensus of the majority is seen as confirming our policies, and the perspectives of those who disagreed with our ethos were ignored.

Some time ago, I decided to ignore any form of criticism. Hey, I’m not conceited, there is a trail of severe mistakes in my past. The errors are not reviewed as lessons or learning curves. They are failures, finished and closed. Failure cannot be part of the future; success is a constant flow, it is happening at this moment. It seems to me that setting objectives or preplanning the future is limiting. The fact I have a good life without debt, problems, or issues seems to indicate a degree of success. However, determining the meaning of success is impossible, my interpretation may be envied by one man and be held in contempt by another. The second I align myself with another person interpretation of success, I will undoubtedly fail. Being someone else’s success is impossible. Anyone who grasps the importance of this idea will live their own life and accept responsibility for their life, win or lose, the secret is knowing the rules of the game and playing with a team in unison. The opposition is beneficial we either hone our skills and compete or watch from the stands. Either way is ok; we make a choice.

So, people are not what they seem. Learning to see one’s faults and assets, helps us to seek the real character (not persona) of other people. There is merit in deliberately avoiding the trap of holding an opinion. Avoid those who dogmatically hold onto their perceptions even though there is a chance they are flawed.

Time Is Up

See You Soon