Perspective

I’m looking into further study. Anthropology and ethnography are at the top of my hit list. The reason behind this is that I want to understand what makes us who we are—because that in turn influences our behaviours within our personal, our family and societal culture(s).

One particular subject has piqued my interest: Psychological Anthropology. It examines how an individual’s psychological development is shaped by social ideologies and structures and asks how notions of ‘self’ differ between cultures and addresses childhood, faith and emotions. 

I think that understanding and awareness are foundational for expanding perspective. And I don’t want to be limited by my understanding based on beliefs that were formed in my childhood. I want to know life broadly. Why? If I’m to connect with a diverse audience, I need a robust understanding of the world we live in.

I recently watched the Netflix series, ‘When They See Us’ and the film, ‘The Hate U Give’ (I’m  reading the novel the film is based on). Both were a gut-wrenching watch and the book equally so. The setting is so very alien to me and to be frank—it’s devastating to know that both are based on reality. 

Though sometimes tragic, there is an element of beauty to the art of film, television and literature. They can transport the viewer, the reader to another world and shift them to an alternative perspective, an alternative reality. It’s unlikely that I’ll ever know the specific kinds of experiences  from ‘When They See Us’ or ‘The Hate U Give’ for myself, but I can read them and let the sounds reverberate around my heart and mind from where I’m standing. 

“What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing, it also depends on what sort of person you are.”

C.S. Lewis

The Magician’s Nephew

I love this from C.S. Lewis. From where I’m standing,  he’s speaking to perspective and understanding. We each have the ability to cultivate what kind of a ‘see-er’ and ‘hear-er’ we are based on where we choose to stand. But might I say, where we choose to stand may determine what sort of person we are. 

Don’t know about you, but I want to stand on broad plains, so I can see widely. I want to tune my ear to individual voices so I can hear distinctly. 

I hope to see…

I hope to hear…

And, with a shift of perspective, I hope to understand...