It is human nature for us to think and believe that everyone sees the world the same way that we do.
The truth is that we all see the world and life through our very own unique perspective.
Our perspective is colored and shaped by our own personal experiences in life, by the people we interact with-and the way they interact with us, and by the thoughts and beliefs that we have.
It is also true that no two people will have the same thoughts and beliefs as each other even if they have had the exact same experiences in life.
Each of us is very unique in this way.
This is what makes us “individual”.
You are the only person on this planet who sees the world through your own lens.
You can share your experiences, thoughts, beliefs, feelings and perspectives with others in an attempt to help them see things the same way that you do.
But the truth is they will filter the information that you share with them through their own lens. They will understand and judge these things based on what they know, what they have experienced, and what they believe.
This is neither good nor bad, it is just what makes us human.
I have always known and believed this, but I recently have had the opportunity to see this play out in my own life.
I recently filed for Divorce from my husband and have been overrun with private messages from others.
Some are supportive of my decision; some are critical of it.
Some feel I know what is best for me; some feel THEY know what is best for me.
Some people feel I am making this decision rashly and out of ignorance.
Some people feel I owe them an explanation for this decision as if they have a vote in my personal life choices.
I find all of this very interesting. It has been interesting to see the way people who you thought were your friends behave and treat you when they don’t agree with you.
Or to have people you thought were your support system criticize and judge you when you reveal ugly truths about your life.
I have found that people seem to only want to believe what they feel is “truth”, even if it isn’t the actual truth.
I find it very interesting that others are so invested in my personal life all of a sudden but they were no where to be found when I was struggling through the daily challenges of my marriage that led me to this decision to divorce.
Saying that we all see life through our own personal lens is also just a nice way of saying that we ALL have opinions of life, of people, and of ourselves.
I have a planner I use that has little quotes inside of it every week, and last week, the quote was very fitting to this situation. It says:
“Judgment blocks awareness. Choose curiosity instead.”
I wonder what our experiences and interactions with each other would look like if instead of judging or assuming we know what is happening, we chose to be curious to find out the truth instead.