I’ve been thinking of Point of View lately. POV.
I see “POV” used in cute videos or reels on social media in which someone narrates a funny or interesting or sweet moment from their point of view. On merriam-webter.com, “point of view” is defined as:
a position or perspective from which something is considered or evaluated : STANDPOINT
When we took English literature in high school, we learned about point of view and its uses. Who’s narrating the story or novel? It can be first person, second person, or third person point of view. It can be omniscient or limited.
More broadly, many novels written in recent years use multiple points of view. We see the same story from different perspectives, which expands our understanding of what’s happening. Some stories cross multiple time periods. The author weaves together two or more stories from different eras, also widening perspective.
Back in December, I wrote “The gift of stories.” In that post, I mentioned Chimimanda Ngoze Adiche’s Ted Talk - “The Danger of a Single Story.” I wrote about “…the importance of all different kinds of stories. To hear the stories of people of diverse backgrounds and experiences. To listen to stories that differ from our own, whether within our own circles and communities or from across the world.”
We can learn and expand our vision by reading fiction or nonfiction about people different from ourselves. And we also have living, breathing people in our lives with different points of view.
Today is Easter. Some people celebrate Easter as a religious holiday. Others celebrate it in a secular way. Still others don’t celebrate it at all.
***
Once I heard someone question why people post so-called “everyday things” on social media. I think they were annoyed by posts of meals or flowers or pets. Their implication was that they would only post “big” things - trips and vacations, concerts and sporting events, graduations and weddings. That’s a limited point of view. Not everyone is able to travel. Not everyone has events or can attend them.
Admittedly, social media is a weird thing no matter how you look at it. But the point isn’t about social media. It’s about point of view. It’s about understanding that not everyone has the same perspective because they don’t have the same experiences or interests or opportunities.
***
This holiday weekend I got to spend time with my three adult children. They’re three different people with a variety of experiences, interests, opinions, and points of view. Their experiences growing up were not exactly the same. I wasn’t even the exact same parent to each of them. Even if consistency is the goal, capacity and experience and time change how things are done. Also, people can experience the same event different ways depending on ages or interests or personalities.
***
There’s of course a larger context for all of this, which seems timely as we enter into what will be a contentious election year. I don’t have the capacity to address that in this post. It’s definitely something I’ll be thinking about in the months ahead. And, of course, if someone’s political views cause harm to others, that’s a whole different story.
***
For now, I hope maybe you found something helpful or thought-provoking in this rambling post. Regardless, thanks for taking the time to read my words.
With gratitude,
Mary
Lots of feelings came up when I read this. Too much to write about. To summarize what I felt is that different perspectives are what make life so interesting but also what make life so hard!