Adjust Your Perspective - Volume 1

Adjust your Perspective is a venture I will be undertaking which will cover not only different or uncommon outlooks on ideas, but will delve into the idea of adjusting your perspective itself.

I have thought a lot about this statement; thought about all the situations in which it is so appropriate.

Consider a teenager, maybe a young athlete or an artist. Kids like this assume they know a lot of things, whether it be about school, drugs, politics, or health. They likely take most of their opinions directly from their parents' mouth, or maybe from an influential friend at school. Regardless of where it comes from, impressionable youths are primed for regurgitation of facts and opinions they have no basis of knowledge for. Honestly, a lot of people my age and even adults posture on hearsay or incomplete facts. In fact, all people do it, and they do it all the time.

Why do we do this? Does it make us feel more knowledgeable or more important by saying, "Well I heard somewhere..." or "I read in an article..."

I'm always reminded of an episode of Family Guy where Peter acts like he is a miracle healer and townspeople start to worship him. When his wife Lois shows concern that people will be expecting him to heal them, Peter says, "Wait a second Lois, I think I read a book about this," to which Brian the Dog replies, "You sure that was a book Peter, you sure that wasn't NOTHING?"

How often are we caught in this situation, or do we catch others? Why do we do it? Normally it's to promote our personal belief system, or our agenda, whatever you want to call it. We want others to think just like we do, and we will use practically any means necessary to make them see it our way. Teens are so succeptible to this because they are prime targets for wanting to be accepted. If they can make it look like they know or heard something cool, maybe others will respect them.

What if we didn't do this? I for one am guilty, but I can't imagine most people aren't.

So maybe next time you're having a discussion or a debate with someone, and it pops into your head to use some obscure fact that if asked a follow up question on you would probably crumble like 5 year old play-dough with no lid, resist the temptation.

Side note:
I also propose we make it a personal policy to call people out, so that when they begin to spew forth liquid hot magmetic bulls*#t, maybe the next time they'll think twice before throwing Joe into the volcano.