Acceptance of Differences

Most of us have seen this picture. In grade school, this drawing was placed in front of me (as well as all of the other 5th graders), and we were asked, “What do you see?” I clearly remember a boy yelling out, “An old lady!” I was stunned by his exclamation, as it was clearly not an old lady, but instead a very young lady. Chaos broke out into the classroom. Most of the children in the class quickly engaged into the argument. One boy said to another student, “You’d have to be an idiot not to see that it is a picture of an old woman.” My friend Monica said, “You must be blind, she is young!”

As adults, the majority of us can see that this is a young lady… and an old lady. It just depends on how you look at it. The artist who created this drawing did so in a way that one picture depicts two different women. So, both “young lady” and “old lady” are correct answers.

Isn’t life much the same way? Situations are viewed in various ways because of differing perceptions. Does one person’s view have to be more accurate than the other, just because they disagree? Should one person have to change his or her perception to appease the other? Why are we so opposed to “letting” people perceive things however they would like? We don’t have to agree with them, but we do need to learn to be respectful and not discount ones character just because they don’t view things they way that we do!

Our experiences in life dictate our perceptions. We can never go back and change what has already happened in our lives; our experiences are all that we have to go on. I think we spend entirely too much time and energy trying to get people to see our own personal views. What matters most is not whether or not the woman is old or young. It is the acceptance of differing opinions and perceptions that can make the world a better place.