How Perspective Shapes What We See

Reality, reframed.

The same vase appears twice: once in the room, and once as it has already been interpreted. The object itself hasn’t changed. Only the frame around it has.

Much of what we deal with at work isn’t reality in its raw form, but versions of it. Reports, slides, summaries, and narratives are all shaped by where someone stood, what they noticed, and what they chose to leave out.

That doesn’t make those interpretations wrong. But it does mean they’re partial. Each one carries perspective with it, whether we acknowledge that or not.

Before reacting, it’s worth remembering what you’re actually looking at.

David R. Smith