My view of the world is quite different than most people's. What changes our views? Having a heart attack will certainly change your world. If you don't believe me, travel over to Heartsick and Headstrong and you will see what I mean by that. Have some procedure because of the heart attack, and the view changes once again. Go through CPR and defibrillator procedures, and it changes yet again. Go through all three, and welcome to my world.
What do I notice as different these days? Too many things to list here - but, certainly, I find that I'm much better now at seeing another's point of view. I'm also much more aware if another's point of view is open/closed/somewhere in between.
The recent catastrophe in Haiti has brought this to light for me, as well. Pat Robertson with his "pact with the devil" statement, and Rush Limbaugh with his lambasting of our President sending aid to the victims in Haiti have displayed an extremely closed mindset. They can both be stupid all they want; but, their points of view have impacts beyond their simple minds.
There are people in this world who believe that people such as Mr. Robertson and Mr. Limbaugh are just short of having the ability to walk on water. What isn't expressed often is the opposing points of view - this is due to the lambasting that those of us with differing points of view take from the likes of these two.
Now, to be fair, there are people like this from other walks of life - and, opposite points of view - that make the problem widespread. Nancy Pelosi with her vitriol and hatred toward conservatives (you know, because we're stupid) is an extreme example of these views.
All of the above just to ask ... "Is the glass half empty? Or, half full?" ... Your perceptions will determine how you answer the question. And, the way I see it, there are three possible answers
Answer #1
The glass is half empty. This is the "I need more" philosophy of life. This is not necessarily "all about me", but it is certainly a point of view that displays, to me, a mind which is not viewing the world and surrounding holistically.
Answer #2
The glass if half full. This, in my opinion, is the "I have some stuff, but I'm not happy with what I have" philosophy of life. Those people that I know that have this point of view do care about more than themselves, but from what I've seen, their points of view rarely would have a positive effect on those outside their immediate circles.
Answer #3
The glass is twice as big as it needs to be. This answer follows Occam's Razor when it comes to solving problems. In simplest terms - the simplest of more than one solution to any problem should be the solution that is employed. This view is a lot more holistic, and it's reach is one in which people are challenged to find the simplest solution to effect the most.
And - once again :) - all of the above to say:
Since my heart attack, since having to require CPR and fibrillation, since being "there and back", I'm quite aware of where people would fall in the above three scenarios. And, I get INCREDIBLY annoyed by the pessimists in my world. I want to help others. I want all of "this" to be about impacting the world. And, I want people to be the same way. And, that's the annoying part ... LOL
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