🔋 A Zebra's Perspective

I wonder how many times I say the word "perspective" on a monthly basis. It's become one of those core concepts for me.

Some of this is the product of how I talk about Warrior-Scholar Project. What do we actually do? Sure, it's about higher education, and sure, it's about military transition. But at bottom, I've come to understand that all transition is about identity, community, and perspective.

Perspective in Unexpected Places

A quintessentially rewarding experience as a parent is passing on things you loved as a child to children of your own. I've started getting my kids into Calvin and Hobbes, which I'm both thrilled and concerned about. Calvin's antics look different from the perspective of a father…

We also enjoy reading Shel Silverstein to the kids. At one point, they latched on to a very particular poem. Was it because of the compelling way I voiced the zebra? I'd like to think so, but there's also something sonically pleasing about the couplet repetition throughout the poem.

By my 5th, or perhaps 50th, read, I realized how profound this poem is. Assess for yourself:

If that didn't resonate, read it 49 more times. It'll hit.

What Are You?

The poem reminds me of a clip from Accepted (an underrated film, IMHO): What are you?

We think we know ourselves. Even for the thing (ourselves) we should be most intimately familiar with, there's so frequently a different way to view our component pieces. My mom is fond of the phrase "turning the cube." If you're looking at something from one direction, how can you turn it around to view it from another side?

"Am I noisy with quiet times, or am I quiet with noisy times?" As someone never quite sure whether I'm an extrovert or an introvert, this is one of the questions I've come back to frequently.

"Am I good with bad habits, or am I bad with good habits?" I mean, I like to think of myself as a good person, but I certainly don't have entirely good habits.

"Am I happy with some sad days, or am I sad with some happy days?" Oof.

Searching for Perspective

We should be exposed to perspectives that challenge us on a regular basis. We should be evaluating how those differing perspectives impact our beliefs and perhaps even impact how we think about ourselves — our identities.

And when we get stuck viewing ourselves in a particular way, we should ask whether there's a way to turn the cube, embrace the wisdom of Shel, and consider another perspective.

I, for one, will keep asking my internal zebra about his stripes.

-Rye

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