An African tale tells the story of a man walking down the lane. The man is wearing a hat that is colored red on one side and blue on the other. As he walks people observe him as they work in the fields.
As the man passes from view the people in the village gather in the in the town to talk about the events of the day.
The workers tell that they saw a traveler pass down the road wearing a red hat.
“No, you are mistaken,” say others. “He was wearing a blue hat.”
The way we experience life is always subjective. Our experience is reflective of who we are. That is why it is so important to respect viewpoints that differ from ours. Even if they are very different from our understanding they may not be wrong. They may have just seen the other side of the man’s hat. For them it was indeed blue.
Knowing how differently life can be seen by others is a critical value in being a whole person.
As the man passes from view the people in the village gather in the in the town to talk about the events of the day.
The workers tell that they saw a traveler pass down the road wearing a red hat.
“No, you are mistaken,” say others. “He was wearing a blue hat.”
The way we experience life is always subjective. Our experience is reflective of who we are. That is why it is so important to respect viewpoints that differ from ours. Even if they are very different from our understanding they may not be wrong. They may have just seen the other side of the man’s hat. For them it was indeed blue.
Knowing how differently life can be seen by others is a critical value in being a whole person.
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