Why is perspective such a big deal?

I’m about to blow your mind with some facts from the animal kingdom.

Humans are trichromatic: we have 3 different types of photoreceptors in our eyes. We believe that this corresponds to being able to see red, green and blue, and from those 3 we are able to see millions of different colors.

Enter the mantis shrimp.

The mantis shrimp has SIXTEEN different types of photoreceptors, and we don’t even really know what that means. Sure, it can see colors that humans can’t. And. The mantis shrimp can also see ultraviolet light, polarized light, circularly polarized light, and I’m sure things we can’t quite comprehend yet.

We’re over here with our 3 photoreceptors thinking we’re so perceptive. Ha!

My favorite exercise on perspective involves 2 people facing each other. Put a paper in between them and ask them to read the number that they see on the paper. Person A responds “5” and Person B says “8.” Who is right? Well, both of them are correct. The side of the paper facing Person A has a 5 and the side facing Person B has an 8. If you ask them to defend their position, they could really take a stand for what they “see.”

This is the cause of a lot of arguments and pain. From one person’s perspective, they may see something totally different than another based on their vantage point, past experience, eye sight or any number of other differences.

It happens in politics, sales, science, leadership, economics, relationships. Everywhere really.

My brothers and sisters of nuance and discernment understand this. Perspective is everything. If we can do our best to truly put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, maybe we’ll see that it is actually and 8 and a 5. And maybe when we call something purple, we’ll realize how primitive that would sound to the mantis shrimp.