Today’s Transformation – The Context is Crucial

Context influences meaning. Transformation can occur like a paradigm shift.

The classic example for the paradigm shift is the argument for the earth being flat or round. For the flat earth believers when ships sailed toward the horizon and disappeared it was feared they “fell off” the edge. When we learned that the earth is round, we understood the ships sailed to the horizon and because of the curvature they disappear. Two totally differing points of view for the same situation; the only thing that changed was the point of view, the context of how the earth is shaped.  

Another example is a man riding the subway with two children. He’s dressed nicely but unkempt. His kids are loud, running around and disturbing the train car. He does nothing about it, merely sits staring off into space. You get annoyed thinking the guy can’t control his kids and really doesn’t care.

So, you approach him and demand that he curb his rowdy kids immediately. You want to know what’s the matter with him and his children? He looks up with dazed  awareness of you and quietly says, “I, I’m sorry. We’ve just come from the hospital where their mother died.”

All of a sudden the whole scene makes sense, you soften your attitude toward the guy, and your contempt turns into sympathy in a split second.

Changing your point of view changes your context and your thinking. That’s transformation.

The context is crucial.

© Copyright 2011 Lynn and Rick Lelchuk

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