An interesting concept that
comes up when talking about borders is how many ways people are able to look at
the same border. What is the correct way to view the many borders that we cross
in life? Each person sees things differently than anyone else because each of
us has a different perspective that changes our perception.
The second map is a map
that shows the same planets but in the scale that we see them from earth. The
great distances between us and each of these planets changes the reality of
their size into how we perceive them. Is
one of these ways of representing the planets better than the other?
Furthermore, is one more real than the other?
The idea that perception
and reality can be extremely different is something that applies to all borders
we cross in life. A physical border such as the one between the United States
and Mexico can be perceived in many ways. For many it is simply a line on a map
that separates two countries, but for the people closer to that “line” it can
represent many things. Some people see it as the obstacle that stands between
them and a better life. Others see it as a source of income. For the border
patrol it is the thing that they must guard because it what keeps illegals out
of our country.
This notion that
perspective changes perception does not only apply to physical borders, and a wonderful
example of this is in the reading we did by Salman Rushdie. The poem about the
Barbarians shows how people perceive the differences between themselves and
others and how often being different has a negative connotation attached to it. This is a theme that is echoed in many
things including the Disney movie “Pocahontas”. In the movie “Colors of the
Wind” is a beautiful song that points out how a people’s perspectives really
change how they see others and the world around them.
By Christina Groff
I think this is a very thought provoking blog post. It would seem to occur that two people could look at the same thing and see two vastly different things. I think this is most notably seen when psychologists use the Rorschach ink blot test. THe one blob of ink could be a butterfly to one person or a ghost to someone else. IT is up the their own interpretation. Because of this reality I would be inclined to say that most of our conclusions about concepts or difficult ideas are very subjective and depend solely our perspective and outlook of that concept or idea. It can go back to almost a chicken and the egg type of argument. An example of this would be: Are borders a good thing or not? Certainly there are many sides to this argument but it is subjective and up to the interpreter what they think is the "correct" answer. Similarly some people may think the chicken came first and others the egg. There are many things that factor in to your conclusion but in the end your decision is based on your perception of how you view things. This is so true and I agree with what you say in the post!
ReplyDeleteYou certainly have a point. In my opinion, there is no real reality. Reality implies that a particular vantage point is completely unbiased and objective which is never possible where human beings are concerned. Everyone has a different experiences which informs their outlook. No two people's experiences are identical so it makes sense that no two people's perceptions are identical.
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