As I have spent the better part of a year thinking about the way in which we view the world, I am struck by an awareness this evening of how our perspectives can cause us to see only one dimension ideologically. We struggle to see any symmetry or connectedness in those who think or believe differently than us.
When we view ourselves and others, imagine an image of a large sheet stretched out with bold colors. We may see ourselves as a blue sheet and we see ourselves "belonging" with other blue things (In using these colors, I am using them as generic reference points to respresent our ideological mindsets or worldviews). We also see the green sheet and the purple sheet and the yellow sheet and the red sheet and so on.
From this perspective, there is a stark contrast between the various colors and very clear distinctions that magnify our separateness. Additionally, this vantage point makes it easy for us to see where we are incompatible with others.
I would like to propose a different image. It is an image with which we are not conditioned - that of an elaborate tapestry.
Even when looking at a tapestry, we may find identification in particular color patterns or designs within the tapestry.
What I am coming to understand is that the reality of human existence is better understood in the intricacies of a tapestry rather than a monochrome sheet.
Even more intriguing is the idea of the reverse side of the tapestry. The side of the tapestry where the design is not discernable. The side where one cannot clearly separate the colors or designs into distinct groupings.
The beauty of the human experience is that, while we are individuals, our lives are woven together into a wonderful tapestry. On one side, that tapestry may be an indistinguishable tangle but when you flip it over it reveals a harmonious and beautiful creation.
We are art. We are poetry. We are an expression of love knitted together and we are greater than the sum of our parts.
As we dig deep to understand how and why we see the world the way we do, I hope we grow to see ourselves as an interwoven tapestry of likeness and humaness rather than a contrasting disparate creation of separation.
