What is Perspective?

Perspective is, to my way of thinking, a way for the mind to search for patterns. We seem to be genetically hard wired to look for patterns in order to make sense of life. Whether it is the narrow limit of our own life, or the global flow of events, we try to make sense of it with our use of perspective. Often, we impose patterns on things that have happened in retrospect, and those patterns are a case of ‘Post Hoc Ergo Proctor Hoc’ – ‘After it, therefore because of it’. We say, because this happened, that happened, or we were led to this point by whatever supernatural agency you favour. The truth is that our decisions are made from incomplete information, generally random and almost certainly not the result of fate or some guiding force from outside. Note, I say ‘almost certainly’ as I may possibly be wrong. One thing that my perspective has taught me is that I can’t be 100% certain about anything. It is wrong to dismiss someone that you are sure is incorrect or something you are sure is non existent, because, as I said earlier, you are working from very incomplete information.

I am happy to allow for a small element of doubt in the global picture and also to acknowledge that my path through life has been almost entirely random despite any apparent patterns. If you accept those two things ‘you can deal with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same’.