Point of view

Point of View

Watching a concert pianist from the keyboard’s point of view offers insight into their talents. If we always observe events from the same viewpoint or sit in the same seats, we are missing out on gaining additional perspectives. As a former collegiate cross-country skier, I recall that the NCAA champion skier on our team would preview the final kilometer of the race course by skiing it in reverse before turning around and skiing it as we raced. He gained more understanding of the course profile by seeing it backward before practicing it forward.

How might we seek out new points of view to better understand the place we occupy? How might we remain curious even when our patterns are habitual?

Other Ways of Seeing
Tsugaru Iwaki Skyline, Japan

When we glimpse this image, we might see different adventures. An auto enthusiast might consider how a sports car handles this route, road cyclists might see a climb with endless switchbacks, a skateboarder might consider a possible descent, a drone operator might think about a viable video, and a landscape artist might see a subject matter to paint. Others may see the consequences, a fear of heights for a car passenger, an engineer who wonders if a better design existed for the road’s construction, or an environmental conservationist who ponders the necessity of the road.

How might we allow for broader interpretations of a subject beyond what is immediately apparent?