A Problem of Perspective

Maybe we can both see it our own way, or can we?

Photo by Ashraful Haque Akash on Unsplash

Our sun has a diameter of roughly 864,000 miles. In comparison, our planet’s diameter is roughly 7,926 miles. It is impossible that a man could hold the sun in his hand. However, from the above photograph’s perspective, it would appear that is exactly what is happening. The word perspective is defined as “a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view” (Oxford Languages). From the point of view of the camera, 93 million miles from the sun, it appears that the man above can cradle the sun in his hand. We realize that such a feat is not plausible but is just an illusion of a certain perspective.

Recently, I have seen a meme floating around that utilizes the distinct point of view of two individuals to make a larger point about taking perspective into consideration. In the meme, two people are standing opposite one another looking down at a number drawn on the ground. They both see the number from different angles, and both draw a different conclusion about what is represented. There is a lesson attached to the meme:

The meme clearly expresses the idea that there can be a variation of interpretation depending on the perspective of the person. Is the meme correct? Or is there another perspective on this piece of artwork?

“I KNOW how you feel…”

To begin with, let’s look at the concept of seeing things from another person’s perspective. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:11, “For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him?” He clearly understood that every human lives their own experience of life, and no one else knows how they feel. Proverbs 14:10 agrees when it says, “The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy.” We need to be careful about assuming we know how others feel, think, or what their intentions are. Doing so can cause tremendous hurt and damage, and ruin relationships. Only the individual and God (Hebrews 4:12) can know the “thoughts and intentions of the heart,” so let’s treat others without assuming we are privy to them. No, we do not “know how they feel.”

The Author Sets the Value

There is an issue with the meme that is not addressed where I’ve seen it appear - The number on the ground had an author who intended it to be interpreted in a specific way. Unless the person who put the “6” or “9” on the ground intended it to be a matter of personal perspective, then the number has a fixed and definite value - it was set by the author. In the same way, morals, ethics, and truth are not determined by my personal point of view alone, they are set by the Author. While we all have our own abilities, weaknesses, and viewpoints to consider, what is ultimately right or true is determined by God.

In the 50th Psalm, Asaph argues that “God himself is judge!” (6). The Psalmist spends the majority of the Psalm arguing that God is the sole Judge of right and wrong because He is the creator of all things; they all belong to Him. We must realize that if anything is a sin, it is because it is contrary to the very nature of the Author of all things. In fact, this is what Paul means when he says that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Sin misses the mark of God’s nature. As Nebuchadnezzar came to understand, “all his works are right and his ways are just” (Daniel 4:37). Many today want to insert their perspective as truth and assume God will adopt it. If the number God placed on the ground is a 6, and you sincerely think it’s a 9, you are unfortunately wrong.

God is always right, and His word is truth. Anything that deviates from God deviates from what is right and is a lie. Our adversary is constantly urging us to doubt the truth that God presented - it was his work in the garden, and he continues it today. Solomon warned us to, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.” (Proverbs 3:5-7). When we find ourselves coming in conflict with God’s nature, it is time to reorient our thinking! As the book of Hosea closes, God puts forth the following statement. The message is just as needed today.

“Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.” (Hosea 14:9)