Random perspectives

"Strong winds blew everywhere, and the grass was obligated to bend along the direction of the wind. The grass always wondered why the oak tree standing next to it never followed with the wind. The grass, suggesting the oak tree "Sway as the wind dances." The oak tree, however, would not listen. Sooner or later, the oak tree would collapse. The winds current were too strong."

That was a story I read in a magazine called Giant Wheel as a child. (You can check a similar story on youtube - https://youtu.be/LuU_VHSfrAE - if you are interested). It is a story that is supposed to teach life lessons and values to children. But, hey, do not underestimate the meaning of such stories. It carries great significance.

How, might you ask? Let us look at it in two different ways, each from different angles:

The first and the most popular being- The oak tree was arrogant and was never humble. It did not do as the situation came and created a disturbance. Opposed to this, we can also derive that the oak tree was confident and stood its ground. Until its last breath, it remained strong to face the challenges and stand up straight. Though it was uprooted, it never gave up.

Now, coming to the grass or the reeds- They went with the flow of life. They bent themselves to adjust to every kind of situation. They were able to adapt to the change. They were flexible. Then again, viewing it from a different eye, we can say the grass survived only by showing itself down. It did not stand up nor strongly believe in itself. It might have undermined its strength.

Okay, I know what you're thinking- Ann, this is silly! Why would you even break down a kids' story it is not a Shakespeare's poem. That is true. But I've always been taught that small stories teach big lessons. Besides, would you not want to learn from a simple story than from war or peace or love, which remains a mystery every time?

But through this blog, I am not trying to find the exact meaning of the story, but I am trying to show the power of perspective. Perspective matters. The point of view matters. How you look at things and in what way can change a lot of things. As we saw, there were two ways (or more from your pov ;)) of decoding the oak tree's behavior. One being pretentious and the other being strong-minded. So every time life throws you lemons (make lemonade jk) do not jump to conclusions straight away. Look both ways (or the numerous different ways!)

Recently, I was asked a question- Would you want to know what others are thinking about you?

Take your time to answer it now. I want you to look in the different ways possible, each with its own core reason. One that might pop up in your mind is "Yes, I want to know what others think about me. I want to know if they like me." or "No, what if they hate me? I'll be hurt unnecessarily." How about- "Yes, I want to know what others are thinking about me so I can improve myself." Or "Yes, because I will know what I am doing wrong and hence will be able to correct myself." Or "No, if they have anything to say, they can speak their mind to me." Or "No, I want to be able to talk for myself nor do I not want others' approval for what I do." All of them are not the same thing. The reason behind each answer shows a different path. How do you see it? (Let me know!)

You can even use perspective to get out of the dark, view the dark as just an obstacle, or even turn the darkness into light. I urge you to broaden your mind and look at things a little differently. It might seem useless at the beginning. But trust me, having different perspectives and having comparisons of different points of view leads to better decision-making, and stronger opinions and you will have the chance to see the world uniquely.

Let me know how would you observe the oak tree and the reeds. I would love to see your viewpoint.

Signed,

Ann.