Opinion is a point of view....so is perspective

How we see things, often depends on whether we see the whole picture or mere a part of it. If this is all we see, then this is probably a black square. Engaging one's imagination, perhaps one may go on to create a narrative to go along with it: This could be a close-up of something black as in a black laptop, a black mouse pad, a black car, or the end of universe, the bottom of a very deep and light-less cave, a black square on a chess board, etc. etc. Or, it could be just a black square, full stop. In order to move past the concept of it being just a black square, more information is needed. So, let me offer more information.

                                                                                      Some more information. What is this now? A         black square with some other colours on it? An abstract painting? Clouds on a dark night with outlines of trees, buildings, or other objects? Even with a vivid imagination, it would be difficult to say for sure what this may actually be....more information is needed, although some of us may be quite satisfied with viewing it as just an abstract painting.
                                                                     

Okay. Now one can see definitive outlines. With the addition of more information one may safely conclude that this is a specific something. The colours, and the lines, .....the placement of them seem deliberate.  What it actually depicts is still hard to tell, although for some of us it may still be an abstract painting...and that's okay, no further information needed. For someone curious by nature (such as myself), this image would probably conjure up a desire for more information in order to find out what the "bigger picture" is...
The definitive lines, the deliberate placement of them, the choice of colours and the placement of them, the brush strokes.... sometimes precise and sometimes wispy....more information, please.

Aha! It's a bird of some sort.... a raven? A crow? A black bird? Just that little bit more of a perspective/information and there is enough information to deduce that this is definitely some kind of bird.
There is a beak, the head looks like a birds head, and it does not take much imagination to "see" parts of its wings. It would now be difficult to describe the image as an abstract image, for most of us this is now a "figurative" image depicting a bird. (What kind of bird, well, that may vary.)

The "bigger picture". That, which from the beginning was just a black square, now, with the disclosure of more and more information, I think I can now safely say that we all see a bird of some kind, and being the person who painted this image, I can add one more bit of information; it is a crow. Albeit my own interpretation......

So, what is this blog all about? you may ask.
Perspective, or put another way: point of view.
Having an opinion, a point of view, is something common to most of us. What is also common for most of us is that we often form our opinions quite quickly without reflecting on exactly how and or why we have come to hold those opinions.

Speaking from my own experiences, I have had to alter my opinions/perspectives many times about many things. First hand experiences, seeking additional information, deepening one's understanding, increasing one's knowledge base, and or listening to others points of view, can be very helpful in being able to see a bigger picture. (According to some, how we view life is a matter of perspective.)
Opinions, although they may often feel like the "truth", are often views based on our beliefs about something more often than facts, and or knowledge.
What do you see? A black square. What if I told you that it is actually the breast part of a crow? Don't be silly. What if I showed you that it is? How are you going to do that? By showing you a bigger picture. The black square is just a small part of the crow.

"Most misunderstandings in the world could be avoided if people would simply take the time to ask: what else could this mean?"  (Shannon L. Alder)

"For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing: it also depends on what sort of person you are."  (C. S. Lewis)

We begin to learn wisely when we are willing to see the world from other people's perspective."
                                              (Toba Beta)