Experiences Shape Thoughts

I think the big problem with the world and the people in it is that no two people will experience this world in the exact same way. Therefore no two people will have the exact same viewpoint. The exact same logic; likes and dislikes; beliefs; passions; intelligence; so on and so forth. And as beautiful as this is, it is also what sadly tears us apart.

Have you ever had an argument with someone and you’ve been so sure that you’re right. Maybe they are extremely prejudice and so you fight against them, but even when you’re saying something so “true” and “right” and “fair” they still don’t take on your opinion at all and continue to believe their viewpoint is right?

Well that’s because they’ve never seen the world you have seen. They haven’t experienced what you have. Someone who has never been racially discriminated against, for example, can’t truly appreciate the affects and definite presence of racsim now – however subtle racism may be in some countries now. And this is just one example. In life, we will experience many situations like this and it’ll drive us mad!

But I think I’m finally learning, in my early twenties, that I can’t allow someone’s viewpoint to anger, upset or frustrate me too much. I can explain my perspective until my heart is content, even with all the best evidence I can find, but sometimes someone just can’t see the picture you’re painting, and that’s not your fault. And in a way, it’s not their fault either. They’ve grown up in a different way. They’ve experienced things differently. They’re not being horrid for the sake of being horrid, necessarily, they’re just different to you.

By allowing that difference of opinion to blacken your mind or harm your heart is just clumsy. We need to harden ourselves to the world because it’ll happen to us a lot. As someone who shares her thoughts avidly with the public, I need to grow some thick skin and harden my heart quickly, that’s for sure!

But my advice to you today would be to try to practice opening your mind. Try to understand an outside view. Also, don’t be too disheartened or angry at the world when someone doesn’t understand your view.

We all experience the same world in different ways, remember that. And those experiences then become thoughts, feelings, words and actions.