John Keating, the literature teacher at the fictional Welton Academy in the movie Dead Poets Society, always saw the world through unconventional means. He had his students rip the entire first chapter of their textbooks out for disposal because poetry cannot be measured by mathematical probabilities. To demonstrate the danger of conformity, he took his students outside to march around the courtyard. But the scene that grabbed me was when he had his students stand on top of their desk to view the room. All the desks were still in place. The chalkboard continued to be mounted on the wall. The mini library was still intact. What changed was the students’ perspective. Standing on the desk gave them a different way of seeing the same situation. Perspective is everything.
Sometimes we find ourselves boxed in and trapped because the only view we have limits our perception. Sometimes simply stepping outside the box – outside our surroundings – gives us the new vantage point needed to see something new or different in a way we’ve never noticed. Other times it’s removing the blinders that hinder us from seeing the peripheral.
When Thomas Edison interviewed potential scientist to work for him, he took them to lunch. He ordered soup for the scientist. When order came, he sat back and watched what happened next. If the potential scientist reached for the salt before tasting the soup, the interview ended. If the potential scientist tasted his or her soup before reaching for the salt, the interview continued. He did not want his scientist to have their minds made up beforehand. Sadly, Edison failed his own criteria. In the war of currents, he boxed himself in with direct current (DC), making his mind up beforehand that DC was the only viable current, when others found success in experimenting with alternating current (AC). Perspective is everything.
When Peter saw the vision of Jesus in Acts 10, he was awakening to a new perspective on the Gentile mission. While Peter had preached that everyone who called on the name of the Lord will be saved (Act. 2:21), he hadn’t realized that such promise was offered to the Gentiles. When he saw that God had given Cornelius the Holy Spirit just like he had, he realized God’s plan. When Paul saw the light (Act. 9), he shifted from persecuting the church to becoming its biggest advocate. Readily admitting his own sinfulness (1 Tim. 1:15), he discovered that if God’s grace and mercy was more than willing to reach him then that same grace and mercy will reach the Gentiles (Rom. 1:15). Perspective is everything.
In any case changing the angle by which we view something alters our perspective, and that’s a good thing. When our perspective shifts, so does the way we see the world. We see people and situations differently. We tend to see them clearly. They say never criticize someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes, so we understand their journey. We become sympathetic and empathetic to their plight. Will we change our opinion? Maybe not. But our inflexible views might soften. And if they soften we might step into compassion. For if we can view each other through the lenses of friendship, maybe we’ll stop viewing each other distrustfully as enemies.
What the writers, director and producers around Dead Poets Society were trying to grasp was that options were available if we’re willing to see them. How we navigate through life largely depends on the perspective we bring to living. Is there one path or two? Can we step out of the box? Are we working with blinders? What if we stood on top of our desk to view the situation? Suddenly, the world looks differently, and options begin to materialize. Perspective is everything.
Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e., only God is glorified!)