Hi, I’m Justin and I’m colorblind.

“... Hi, Justin…”

Now, I’m only barely colorblind. I get around just fine most days, and I only really notice it when someone says something like, "Hey, check out that purple dinosaur," but I see a distinctly blue dinosaur.

The crazy thing is that, in that very realistic situation, even though you and I may be looking at the same velociraptor, the cute little guy that I see is going to look a whole lot different than the one you see.

So, here comes that crazy question that might just blow your mind: Do we all experience the same reality? Or is reality mostly relative?

Good question.

The answer is, respectively, no and yes. We do not experience the same reality, and everything is, indeed, relative.

This is even more crazy:

There are some small birds who have a fourth color receptor for ultraviolet light; this gives them "true" UV vision. Furthermore, reindeer use near-UV light to see polar bears, which would be invisible in regular light because they blend in with the snow. UV light also allows some mammals to see urine trails, which is helpful for prey animals to find food in the wild.

Guys, those animals experience a planet earth which looks very very different from ours.

How crazy is that?

I see a blue dinosaur in a desert of snow; you see a purple dinosaur in a desert of snow; but reindeer see a ____ dinosaur in a desert of snow, as well as a polar bear barreling towards them, and probably quite a few different types of lights/colors on top of that.

Now, that absolutely sounds silly and you probably have no clue where I’m taking this, but the reason why I bring it up is because, even though we tend to assume that you and I both see the same world, we very likely don’t. And this goes beyond color and UV light.

Basically, to state it again, reality is relative.

Why does this matter?

Because we so very often get trapped inside our heads. We see a blue dinosaur and assume that it is just that and nothing else. We look at a field of white snow and assume that there is nothing else there to be seen. But our perspective is so much more limited than we like to conclude.

In general terms, our perspective is generally skewed in that we observe (and thus assume) the world as revolving around us, and serving a very specific and beneficial purpose.

That's very common.

But the reality is that, even though we only tend to view this world in the angle with which we've been provided, there is so much more out there that we don't see, and there are people around you who see a much different world than you, and thus have quite a bit to offer yours.

Of course, we are individualistic because that way of thinking is necessary. We need to bathe ourselves, dress ourselves, feed ourselves; we’ve gotta work hard, rest hard and play hard for ourselves. This is natural.

But we were also made to be communal people, and this isn’t because we’re incapable of getting along on our own––it’s been done––but only because doing life alongside other people is just better.

And we, on our own, can’t see everything.

For example, my favorite Disney movie is "Hercules." Let’s assume yours is "The Lion King." If I never considered any other Disney movie to be worth watching except my favorite, I would never get to enjoy your favorite movie, even though it is an absolutely fantastic movie.

So give people around you a chance! There are so many more layers to life which you will never be able to see until you investigate. So, ask your friend's what their favorite movie is, and go home and watch it. Ask them about their story. What have they been through that you haven’t? What can you learn from their perspective?

C.S. Lewis wrote in "The Weight of Glory" that "there are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal…it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit.”

Basically, every single person matters. Every single person has a story of their own––a perspective through which they view the world––and all of them are absolutely worth exploring.

How bland would the world be if you only viewed it through your lens?

You are surrounded by people every single day, and each and every one of those whom you are surrounded by, matter. And there’s a whole lot more to them than I’m sure you can see.

So take a moment and step outside of your world!