How Diverse Perception Can Edify Rather Than Destroy

Last night, we went to a Yankees game here in NYC. There were a handful of homeruns and a few that just barely missed going over the fence. Our seats were high up and the angle looking down on the field was slightly blocked. There was just one sliver of the field where we could not see. If the ball went there, we’d have to depend on the reaction of the crowd to find out what happened.

I never really played baseball. My depth perception was awful. Even watching the game from the stands, I can’t tell where the ball is going to end up. But I’ve become a baseball fan since moving to New York. And I’ve gotten to watch a lot of games on television.

Being at the games live is a whole different experience. Obviously it is way better, but there are times when things happen and the live crowd misses the explanation. There are times when history, stats, and back-story are missed.

False Perception

Sitting in my seat last night, I was thinking about angles. About how we all see the world from a certain angle. A couple of times in the game, a ball was hit hard and people erupted in cheer. Obviously, the ball was going out. It was a home run. But then, it wasn’t.

Our perception doesn’t always play out. Sometimes what we see ends up not being enough. Not being true. We need further observation, further evidence.

Sometimes I’m screaming about balls and strikes from four hundred feet away.

A Little Help

We all need a little help. The truth is too big for any one of us to contain. We need as many angles as we can get, and we need others to help us in our blind spots. We also need patience and evidence to test our perception.

Most of the time, we square off with our perceptions. Like two prize fighters looking to knock one another into oblivion, we defend and attack, desperate to ensure our way of seeing things is the last one standing.

Sometimes this is necessary. Most of the time it is not.

Most of the time, our perspective is more like attending a baseball game. It’s impossible to really get it all – the information of the announcers, the feel of the crowd, the height and depth of the ball. A seat you’re in might be great for one play but tough for another.

And so, we all need a little help. We need to surround ourselves with people who care enough about the truth to pursue it with us. Community is necessary for healthy perspective.