"The truth is often what we make of it; you heard what you wanted to hear, believed what you wanted to believe."-Obi Wan Kenobi
Oriana Fallaci. Extreme. They knew there was more to the story than just one perspective - theirs. Bringing this concept to the public with a quote or an album title, these journalists and musicians were aware everyone has a different way of interpreting and processing an event or series of events and act accordingly. But what are the three sides or perspectives to the story?
My Side.
In every situation, what we see, hear, and feel defines our definition of the truth and becomes our truth. Our upbringing and personal beliefs and biases help shape how we interpret series of events and if we consider ourselves victims if and when appropriate.
But honestly we can't help it can we? We can only interpret what's happening by comparing things to our own experiences and this in turn shapes the decisions we make.
We've got no reason to consider any other information to cloud our judgment because we know we're right (or at least we assume we are). There can't be any other ways to interpret what's going on...or are there?
Your Side.
Much like ourselves, if another party is involved in a situation they too have their own biases and life experiences that shape their own interpretations and eventual decisions of what's going on and whether they are the victims.
Like us, they are basing their decisions on their own interpretation of events that are biased by their life experiences. It is rare that our interpretations and that of others are the same and in sync, but when this does happen both parties are in agreement and there's little room for any type of conflict to exist. When both parties have differing opinions and interpretations of events, each side inevitably tries to convince the other side of their own truth as being the only truth. Ultimately one side feels victorious while the other feels like the victim.
The Truth.
The third point of view is the series of events as they occur. No biases and no skewed interpretations. Just what is. Due to human nature and our own limited perspectives, individual biases and preconceptions, the truth is seen differently by different people.
Websites such as Lawshelf.com , Constitutional Rights Foundation, and Scientific American all discuss the unreliability of eyewitness testimony due to how people interpret and remember events. And yes, how we skew our recollections of what we witness with our own biases and judgements.
Re-Framing.
It would be great to think we are objective and free of bias (or can learn to be overnight), but realistically it takes time. It takes time to recognize and acknowledge we are pre-judging events and inserting our own biases on how we choose to interpret events. The first step IS to recognize our biases when next we approach a situation or event and consider an alternate point of view. Is there any other way to interpret what we are experiencing? What is happening, stripped free of emotion and feelings? This should present us with the truth as well as multiple perspectives or points of view regarding the situation.
From here we can then decide whether or not we are correct in our assessment or maybe need to change our perspective (after deliberation of just the facts and the different viewpoints).
Over time and with more deliberate interpretation, we will be able to move to a more unbiased view of what's happening and be able to see things as they are without bias. All it takes is approaching things, especially life, with a new perspective.
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