Different Perspectives

Four friends meet for a G League basketball game in a midsized city none had visited before. Arriving via different routes to the arena, they share their impressions of the town.

Mel labeled the municipality as impoverished, describing his trip in from the Interstate past closed landfills and tired bars, restaurants, and fast-food joints. Coming in via a different route, Lawrence sees it as a college town, having passed a sprawling state university campus.

It is a blue-collar manufacturing community, insists Chris, who entered between two industrial parks that gave way to neat, well-kept bungalows and the occasional corner tavern. Nicki drove past several large entertainment venues, an outdoor amphitheater and a restored downtown, leaving the impression of a tourist destination.

A friendly debate ensues with each participant insisting that their personal conclusion captures the essence of the location. The four friends are in conflict, but who is right?

Conflict is different perspectives on the same situation. Each friend is being honest by telling it like they saw it. What they experienced individually depended on the road taken into town. It is only by combining views that they begin to assemble a better understanding of the place they are visiting.

The role of conflict is to drive our bias. Contention, conflict’s counterfeit, focuses on who is right, as one person tries to impose their will on the others. Conflict is just interpretations, neither good nor bad. By combining conflicting views, a clearer picture of reality emerges.

Viewing people and their perspectives as right or wrong narrows what can be seen, puts distance between people and stifles creativity. By listening to the experiences of others we can better understand the reality of our world, no matter what road we arrive on.