Revolutions vs. Usurpation.

Of those terms in the title, one is the language of the oppressed and the other is the language of the ones in power. This doesn’t just have to be political, it could also be technology, business, or ideas.

The point is perspective is only found from the spot we are currently standing in. Einstein said it best, “It’s all relative.” That may not be an exact quote, but that was his idea in physics and it’s true today. Everyone is judging the world based on what is happening to them, not what’s happening out in the world in absolute terms.

Trying to meet people in the world as it relates to them is a challenge. It requires empathy. It requires a broad perspective. It requires caring enough to do the hard work of understanding how they reached the worldview they are at today.

A simple example, one person leads a revolution. Another tries to put down an usurpation of his political system. A third persons the “same old, same old” with new names. All three are witnessing the same events. All three are in different advantageous, disadvantageous and neutral positions. Each one has a different story about what is happening. This leads to the most confounding thing about the world, it’s possible that all three stories are correct. Like Einstein said, “It’s all relative.” Observing an astrological motion, three different observers standing on different planets could measure the speed differently and they would all be right.

Perhaps if we spent just a bit more time not assuming that the conclusions of others who disagree with us are wrong, but rather that we simply lack the worldview to measure the world in their way, we will all be better off.