8 - Diego B: The Need of Perspectives

Perspectives open the door to the thoughts of others. Whenever we are preoccupied with issues, we generally tend to listen to our own point of view first before we listen to other points of view. Sometimes, we refuse to listen to any other point of view at all considering we can be too confident in our opinion. This is not only harmful to solving issues, in my opinion, but it also promotes an idea of isolation that persists throughout your mind which impedes us from relating and communicating with others effectively. Perspectives, for instance, can show you a variety of opinions, cultures, and beliefs which you otherwise would not have seen if you only paid attention to your own perspective. You may disagree with many of these perspectives regarding societal issues, but acknowledging them and attempting to reply to them will only further your understanding of other individuals around you. Ignoring other perspectives, therefore, will not only damage your understanding of the world around you, but it will also damage your communicative skills by disabling you to engage in effective arguments with other perspectives. I also find much issue in the neglect of perspectives through the fact that it sparks more conflict in society than if we were to accept perspectives as what they were. Naturally, everybody will gain different perspectives from an early age based on their location, family, time, and experiences. The world is destined to disagree on some things. That is not an issue, as long as we are willing to cooperate to improve the world. Everybody wants to improve their world, but improving the world implies cooperation and compromise with others. Acknowledging others’ perspectives is an essential part of cooperation, and ignoring them would subsequently be an impediment to working with others competently to improve our future. We should face perspectives for what they are—that is, the door to the thoughts of others. The door to the thoughts of others can also be the door to the improvement of society, if we are willing to respect and value the perspectives of others. (346 words)