My perspective is…
I was riding in the car with my husband one afternoon. It was a warm spring day outside. We were headed toward the theater and it’s dead center in a shopping area near me. It means getting there by car using those roads next in parking lots, which means there’s always people walking around.
You’ve always gotta have your eye watching around you. Waiting at a stop sign to turn, almost together we said, ‘Wow, do you see that?!’ I saw this full bloom- bright like heaven- you could almost smell the color even from the car- beautiful tree- bursting with budding blossoms- right before our turn.
It was just popping like an elusive fashion accessory that makes people stop and stare at the wearer! I just wanted to stop, appreciate it and take a picture actually. It was amazing, I spoke something to that effect out loud.
We’ve turned here hundreds of times but I don't think I have ever seen that tree, most especially looking all dressed up ready for Cinderella’s ball like that! My husband seemed shocked at my comment as opposed to appreciating it in some similar fashion to me, or at least the, ‘Yes, honey. Oh yeah, pretty.’
He seemed genuinely mortified by my thrill at the site, which didn’t make any sense. His dismay, and at me as very apparent. ‘This is beautiful, ' I repeated the sentiment. Mind you, this was just seconds of time.
With obvious irritation and exasperation at my ridiculousness he retorted, ‘How is that man slapping that woman amazing!??’ With whiplash speed I opened my filter to see WTH he was talking about.
Under that tree near a bus stop was a man and woman. It was apparent they were interacting, even arguing. Still, I didn’t immediately see the problem, till the man moved with a ‘turfing’ action at the women. I didn’t see the strike like my husband did.
We were both correct, reporting true facts. It’s just that our filters/life glasses were showing us wildly different parts of the whole of that reality playing out before us. It could have ignited a longstanding argument as happens in close relationships.
It might have changed many things. As different as our experiences were, we were each - right. We all have Preferences (Choices), Strengths (Skills and Talents), as well as Wants and Needs (required for living).
We add our experiences and education (from all sources). And all these are just our informers, our personal filter or life glasses; the perspective from which we view life and the world around us at any given moment.
This is just an usually unspoken part of life. This is how our consciousness functions; what we see, hear, taste, touch, feel, and think is informed by not only the events of life but also by these PC, SST, WNR all mixed in together (stated above).
It’s why eyewitnesses get things wrong, it’s why 2 people see different things in the car accident happening in front of them. It’s also why we argue with each other, often we are talking about parts of the whole situation.
We aren’t fully conscious of this process happening, but it happens in every experience. It’s like our heart beat, it goes on behind the scenes, but we can be aware of and notice it when we choose.