How do you, as an individual, define what and who is considered beautiful or undesirable? Some people view one person or one object as beautiful, but others may say they are undesirable or ugly. The real and hard-hitting question suddenly boils down to why the views differ, not who is right or wrong about their point of view.

People instinctively jump to conclusions and are motivated by desiring the gratification of being right. What keeps me haunted in the dead of night is one simple concept that has been pushed aside and almost extinct from the human thought process - understanding.

Understanding is the ability to step outside of your personal views, experiences, biases and opinions and be able to interpret where another individual is coming from. Not many people I know have had the picture perfect past or one that they are completely comfortable with sharing what happened throughout it.

What people do not seem to realize is that some people let their past define them and others use it to grow and learn from the experiences. The other side of dealing with a past is the option to let it define or support you in your growth. Whether your past is filled with butterflies and sunshine or something you would rather forget, you have the ultimate option in deciding what role it will play in the rest of your life.

The role that develops over time begins to turn into a personal perspective. Optimists and pessimists are connected through using their past experiences to interrupt what they are currently going through. One looks at the positive side of life and the other at negative focal points.

The first thing that comes to mind is not that we are using past experiences to understand what we personally go through in the present, but natural guidelines that we have used our whole lives. When we have met a stranger or are faced with a brand new idea, we instinctively use beauty or ugliness to grasp onto how we should first define this new experience. Why do we do this? Those natural guidelines are ingrained into our way of thinking and what we have been taught since the beginning of our short time here on Earth. This is how we should use our perspective to decide whether an object, idea or person - not that they should be classified as beautiful or undesirable.

When I look at a person, whether it is for the first time or for many years over, I perceive the content of their heart. That is where I believe understanding and perspective originate. Yet, in today’s world, people use their own experiences to judge someone else’s life and image through definitions known as beauty or ugliness.

No two people are alike. From identical twins to siblings that are literally another version of one another, no two people will ever perceive a person or object with a similar view. Understanding does not have to be defined by accepting or agreeing with the views someone else holds, but simply by knowing the whole story and not requiring the perspective to be held in the eyes of beauty or ugliness. These two words are bare descriptors and opinions; easy classifications that humans use to try and “understand” someone or something.

Next time you meet someone new or come across a new idea or concept, try not to define it with a meaningless descriptor, take on an understanding perspective. Use the content on which you perceive to come to a mutual middle ground. Leave judgment behind along with your past experiences, and take a moment to step inside the shoes of understanding and a completely new side of perspective.