One of the important teachings that we impart in the New Insights Life Coach Training and Certification Programme is incorporated in a topic that we call ‘The power of perspective’.
Or, more precisely …
‘The power to choose the perspective from which we experience life.’
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Reality?
The point here is that our reality is just that, our reality, or reality as we experience it. It does not constitute reality in the way that others experience it. Neither does it constitute reality itself.
That’s a lot to digest and it can be a little discomforting at first but once this truth is embraced, life becomes easier to understand, makes more sense, feels more gentle, and, frankly, is a lot more fun!
Let me try stating this another way:
The reality that we perceive to exist is dependent on the perspective from which we perceive, or choose to perceive that reality.
An example
By way of offering a fairly extreme example, I want to share with you two posts that I read in a mainstream news feed, earlier this week.
The first relayed the perspective of a war correspondent who had spent an extended time on battlefronts and in violent hotspots around the world.
She lamented the ‘hostility, ruthlessness, destructiveness and harshness’ so prominent on our planet.
The second put forward the perspective of an astronaut in orbit on the international space station.
He praised how unimaginably serene, beautiful, and fragile life on earth appeared from his lofty vantage point.
Towards balance
The truth is that in a healthy, balanced system both positive and negative vibrations coexist. There are as many possible perspectives on reality as there are perceivers of that reality.
Living in a state of balance brings true happiness and inner peace.
But, it requires constant conscious effort to prevent from getting sucked into a perspective of reality that is overly polarised.
A change of perspective
When life seems difficult, harsh or even brutal, it is time to invoke the power of perspective.
You may not be able to alter the reality you face but you can – with relative ease – alter your perspective of it.
To close out, I want to share an old parable that I think is very relevant here. It was featured in Bärbel Mohr’s 2001 book, The cosmic ordering service: A guide to realising your dreams.
I have adapted the language somewhat to make it an easier read.
The Hall of Mirrors
Once upon a time an ancient king had a special hall of mirrors built for the purpose of impressing and entertaining guests in his opulent palace.
One night, the king invited a large number of guests to an extravagant banquet at the palace. Celebrations went on into the early hours.
Later in the morning, some time after all the guests had left, and with the king still fast asleep, one of his pet dogs wandered into the hall of mirrors.
The dog soon became confused and disoriented, not knowing how to find its way out.
He saw he was surrounded by a thousand other dogs, baring their fangs and snarling at him. So he growled and barked back at them. Each of his barks set off an echo, which seemed to him to be barks of a thousand other dogs.
The valiant dog, realising he was all alone in the battle to defend himself from a thousand opponents, became increasingly aggressive. His rage soon got out of control and, eventually, exhausted from the extreme exertion, he dropped dead.
Some time passed before another of the king’s dogs found his way into the same hall of mirrors. This dog, too, felt unsure of the way to get out.
But he noticed that he was surrounded by a thousand other dogs of his own kind. Delighted with all the friendly canine company, he began to wag his tail with joy and excitement.
In response, a thousand dogs showed their excitement and wagged their tails back at him.
Happy and encouraged by all his newfound friends, he soon managed to find his way out of the hall.
Did this resonate with you?
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Thank you, Bill, for shedding new light on this fundamental aspect of the human experience. The fable reinforces your message so effectively. What an inspiring New Insight!
Thanks Karen!
Comparing the perspective of the war correspondent and the astronaut is totally flawed. The war correspondent is IN the war zone experiencing all the trauma-the astronaut is blissfully thousands of miles away so cannot possible look at anything from a different perspective other than geography and where in time and space they are
Hi David, thanks for your comment.
The example I cited (I admitted it was extreme) goes to show how your perspective changes the reality you experience – and the fact that the astronaut and the war correspondent experienced different realities cannot be argued with 🙂
The real substance of this post (as explained later, with the help of the parable) is in promoting the realisation that one can choose to change one’s perspective and thereby experience a different reality.