I have been intentional about God growing me in emotional intelligence by helping me look through other people’s lenses to see how they see the world. Continuing from my last post about seeing how others see (in case you missed it, https://ljallencoaching.com/i-want-to-see-what-you-see/click here), I would like to next consider how our vantage point is crucial in how we perceive situations in our lives. The perspective from which we view a situation can make us believe we are seeing things clearly. And we are, from our vantage point. But by standing in another position, we may see more that we were missing.
Case in point is this photo of Prince William. It made the rounds on social media that proves the importance of an understanding of vantage point. The first photo vantage point looks like he is using an obscene gesture. The second vantage point photo shows he was holding up 3 fingers. How quickly our human nature assigns a narrative.
EXAMPLES OF VANTAGE POINTS: There are varying vantage points that we can have throughout our lives.
- Parent/Toddler. The parent sees that an early bedtime and restrictions will help a toddler, but the toddler cannot see it from their vantage point.
- Supervisor/Employee: Supervisors must carry the weight of conversations that an employee may never know, thus limiting the employee’s vantage point.
- Gen X has a different vantage point than Gen Z as do most large generational gaps.
Toddlers, of course, are not mature enough to take in their parents’ perspective, but we all would do well to learn that, just like a toddler, sometimes our family, boss or even God are doing something that is best for us even if we cannot see it clearly ourselves. Perhaps you have a supervisor you can give the benefit of the doubt that they see something you don’t see as you trust their leadership. Creating dialogue with varying generations will give us increased vision for how they see from their vantage point. These are all ways we can acknowledge that we aren’t seeing the whole picture and gain fresh perspectives by considering different vantage points. When we understand that there are varying vantage points that we may be missing, it can guard us from assigning an untrue narrative to the situation. One of the greatest gifts in this endeavor is the gift of curiosity. We are looking for clues not drawing conclusions.
Sometimes in our political climate, we have opinions around an issue that doesn’t exist in our experience from our vantage point. Someone who has family wealth cannot fully comprehend the vantage point of a single mom living paycheck to paycheck unable to gain traction financially. Even if someone’s vantage point is something we disagree with or cannot align with, we can still have the compassion to walk over to their vantage point to understand why it is important to them. This increases our ability to see from different perspectives. Sometimes a fresh vantage point changes the way we see a situation. Other times, we can see their vantage point without changing our convictions. It is the act of trying to see what they see that builds bridges in our relationships. True and healthy relationships allow for differing perspectives. Seeing from another perspective does not require you losing your perspective or convictions.
Even the Bible shows how God has a vantage point that we cannot fully comprehend in Isaiah 55:9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Now it ‘s your turn. What is a situation that would benefit from you considering another vantage point? Pray about a way to have a conversation that will give you a fresh perspective with a family member, coworker or friend.
*Photo credit TheSunUK
