This Gary Varvel cartoon has been going around social media recently. I think it has gained traction because it highlights a fundamental reality of our world today. We all live in the same world but we use very different filters to understand it.
Its like a photographer who takes one picture but then goes back to their computer and creates very different images through the use of the many filters and tools at their disposal. And you may find that you love one of those pictures and hate the other. The underlying reality was the same, but the filter put on it made you perceive it very differently.
As a Generous Mind, my immediate thought is how generosity could address this very real issue that many of us face. And I think there is an easy answer. Instead of trying to convince people to like our filtered view of reality rather than the one they have chosen, why don't we start but being generous with our filter. What would that look like?
Well, for starters, it would mean sharing how we filter information with others. As Generous Minds we need to be open about the sources of information we trust, the way we look at the world and the values and beliefs that shape how we see things. If we did this, it might lead to more people understanding why we see the world the way we do.
Secondly, we need to be willing to consider that our filter might have some problems. We may have some biases and assumptions that don't hold up very well. We may have some preconceived notions that have never been tested beyond our own echo chambers.
Third, we need to use our generous example as a way to model this for others so they will share about their own filters.
Once we understand the filters we use, we might be able to better discover the truth together.
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