The sinking of the Titanic was a god-sent for the kitchen’s lobsters.
I have always been one to wade into a debate. With friends, family or with a stranger at the local, the engagement and passion that comes with the territory has always driven me. Yet I am still a guilty party by failing to gain the perspective of others. Truthfully, this has cost me in the past- as it has many of people, I am sure- through failing to come to a sensible conclusion or in the worst of circumstances impact upon relationships.
“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.”
Carl jung
As a global society, many of us share similar views. Whether this be rallying behind a social cause or your local team, we join together in many ways in order to gain momentum. Yet, we all have our own reasoning and experiences that have founded this view. Our perspectives of reality are unique. Our reality is not the only one to exist- so why do we approach our lives as if it is? Our individual experiences are understood within the perspective in which they are viewed, we are all guilty of acknowledging only what our perspective allows us to see. Change this perspective and we change the interpretations of events within our own life.
The impact this has upon our capabilities to problem-solve cannot be emphasised enough. Through taking on an opposite’s cognitive and affective perspectives, we can begin to understand how the individual will react to a proposition emotionally. Failure to take this perspective not only impacts on the effectiveness of the conversation but also limits our understanding of the issue.
“Judge not, for you would do the same if you were in that position”
Abrham lincoln
Within the Digital Innovators program this is a value that we instil into our students. The demand for our workforce to be able to critically think is forever growing- yet our young people often lack the opportunity within formal education to truly understand all sides of an issue and accurately assess their validity and relative merits. I often discuss topics with young people in which they have been dictated a viewpoint, yet have never questioned. Our collective failure in teaching the importance of perspective not only causes societal stagnation but also impacts our abilities to think creatively and develop solutions which maximise joint outcomes.
The result of bestowing this skill onto young people can be seen through the students that graduate from the Digital Innovators program. Young people that are capable of taking on their opposite’s cognitive perspective and develop solutions empathetically, effectively and confidently.
