We've all heard the saying about the glass being half full or half empty before. Many people seek the "right" answer when every answer is correct for whoever is responding. The use of either phrase seeks to identify whether you have a positive or negative perspective on life or a specific situation. How you view the world will shape how you learn, how you behave, who you love, and, ultimately, how you live.
Philosophically speaking, your perspective is considered your point of view. Say two people are standing on either side of a "6" sprayed on the pavement. The person at the bottom point of the 6 will view it as such, while the person on the opposite point will view it as 9. In this case- without taking into account the intent of the person who originally put the figure there- both people are "right" in what they view because that's their perspective.
However, sometimes the things we view are not as cut-and-dry as the example above. I recently came across a viral video in which there are two dots in a picture, and that when you stare at the dot on the right and move your face closer to the picture, there is a point in which the dot on the left disappears. Scientists have proven that a wide chunk of what we see is made up by our brains and filled in to create full pictures of reality, proving that for the majority of our lives we will see what we want to see or what we subconsciously think should be there.
How you view the world is heavily reliant on how you physically see it, but it's even more reliant on how you feel about it. A core beliefs system and set of morals can act as your spiritual and emotional eyes. I feel that our brain filling in the details happens not only with how we physically see things, but also with how we interpret the things we see. In many situations, how we interpret our world comes from a small view of it. These feelings, based on geographical location, religion, political stance, gender, sexual identity, and many other factors are influenced by what we have been told to think or what we think we should feel.
One of the coolest things therapy taught me is that we have complete control over how and what we feel. "Well, duh," you might be thinking. To know you can control your emotions is one thing, but actually understanding them and controlling them is another beast entirely. Just like emotions, your perspective can be manipulated and changed. Someone who sees the glass as half empty can change their mind and see it as half full, or even be grateful for the glass having water at all.
It's important to remember that your view on something is different from everyone else's. While many might agree with your perspective and say, "Yes, that is a 6," there will be those who say, "Are you crazy? That's a 9!" You could expand what you want to see and take a look at life from a different point of view, or stay rigid in your beliefs. There is no wrong answer because it's all about what you truly believe, but I feel that there's such an immense benefit to trying to see things from other points of view. Not only will you begin to understand others and how they interpret the world around them, but you might learn a thing or two about yourself in the process.
