Perspective Changes Everything

“Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.”_Camille Pissarro

Due to the current phenomenon of COVID-19, our free modern world is suddenly challenged in an unprecedented way.

As a result of the challenging situation we all face in almost every part of the globe, some people are already suggesting that the Apocalypse has begun. 

However, they are being far more pessimistic than what the data portray. 

Even if the data is that bad, they are forgetting an essential lesson of survival: our ultimate destiny is never determined by what happens to us; it is determined by how we view what happens and the actions we take in response to the situation.

Philosophically, truth is more important than reality. And the truth is: perspective has the capacity to transform a hopeless circumstance into a glimmering scenario of faith and courage. As an American businessman Allen Harold wisely said that our perspective is “the (only) difference between a mountain and a molehill.”

As a matter of fact, humanity has witnessed and survived plagues that were far more deadly than what we are witnessing right now. Therefore, we really need to view things with balanced optimism to thrive out of the present difficulties.

In his book, ‘Either/Or’ the Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard points out that with the right perspective in a world of crises, darkness and restriction, wise men will doggedly search for things to be grateful for.

But without the right perspective in an environment of opulent opportunities and the most desirable circumstances, someone is sure to be bored and miserable. 

By that line of reasoning, instead lamenting and wishing Coronavirus had never happened, we should adopt a positive perspective by being grateful that it is not worse than it presently is (Remember Black Death with 40% fatality rate). 

And secondly, we should realize that this will make our modern world stronger, not weaker in the long run. 

The current adversity will accelerate research on how we can gain firmer control on pathogens, going forward. In the words of Napoleon Hill, the author of ‘Think and Grow Rich,’ “Every adversity has a seed of equivalent or greater benefit.”

Without a doubt, our challenges provide us with the greatest opportunity for creativity and progress. Human race have enjoyed better health and safety from the work of scientists like Louis Pasteur, a French microbiologist who was motivated to act by the prevalent plague of his time. 

Subsequently, his discoveries on vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurization have led to breakthroughs in saving a lot of lives through prevention and treatment of deadly diseases in Europe and the world over.

As the author of ‘Unlimited Power,’ Anthony Robbins once said, “Every problem is a gift. Without them, we wouldn’t grow.”

With the wrong perspective, it is too easy for us to spend our time lamenting the disastrous hands we are dealt but with the right perspective, the next course of action is to use every challenge we face as an immediate source of advancement. 

Never forget, the greatest problem is never the difficulties; the greatest problem is having the wrong perspective in dealing with them as the Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Carl Jung did say: “It all depends on how we look at things, and not how they are in themselves.”

Demonstrate the Right Perspective in Our Collective Fight Against the Deadly Virus

So while other people are choosing to behave like this is the beginning of the end, choose to spend your time to instill faith and confidence in the mind of everyone around you.

While other people are choosing to watch television all day long, saturating their precious minds only with the news of gloom and doom, divert your own attention to stories of courage, innovation and resilience.

While others are choosing to remain focused on thousands of people that are dead, be grateful to God that He has granted recovery to four times more than the number of fatalities.  

You see, the main thing we need to thrive in the face of a crisis is a term I call ‘determined optimism.’ With it, the world has survived greater challenges than this, but without it, there is no hope for the future.

In the end: we must never allow our challenges to take away our strength. Rather, we should use them to enhance and magnify our latent power. 

Perspective changes everything!