Twilight and Perspective

"Sometimes I wondered if I was seeing the same things through my eyes that the rest of the world was seeing through theirs. Maybe there was a glitch in my brain."

--Bella Swan, Twilight, Chapter 1, p.11

 Image credit: Amy Wadlington

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 This week's quote comes directly from the first book in Stephenie Myer's series, Twilight.  I decided to switch it up a bit and just go directly for a quote from a book instead of a real person, I guess to get a different perspective, even if it's from a fictional character in a book.

I ask myself the same question that Bella is asking every single day of my life.  "Am I seeing this world differently than the rest of the world? Is there something wrong with me because of that?"  I think everyone asks themselves this question all the time, so I guess we're all on the same page.

But this particular quote reminded me that everyone thinks differently, no two minds think completely alike.  I often forget that everyone sees thinks through different eyes, that we don't all hold the same values, even if society wants us too.  And no one should feel like there is something wrong with them just because they have a different perspective on issues than the rest of the world.

I honestly think that people often forget this idea as well because I hear everyone going back and forth all the time over politics and religious beliefs and they just going around and around in a never ending circle of hate because they can't open their eyes and realize that the person has a different idea and perspective!

It's so completely frustrating when you try to have a conversation with someone and they don't listen and they dismiss you for having different beliefs.  They won't even consider trying to see things from your perspective, they go by their perspective and that one alone. That's not what you're supposed to do with your first Amendment right! (if you're an American)  How can you go through life never trying to see the other side of the argument? It goes right back to the first discussion we had about rhetoric and how it isn't used correctly today.

In this case, in the book, Bella tends to see things completely differently from everyone anyway. It only gets worse for her in each book as she finds out more about the supernatural things going on around her.  At least we only have to deal with close minded people who won't listen to your beliefs, and not a glittery vampire boyfriend who has a whole past and a bunch of close friends that defy everything you've ever been taught about monsters and creatures of the night. That has to be worth something, right?