“People see the world the way I do.”
It takes some thinking to understand the fallacy of this assumption. Typically, we don’t even think of it as an assumption, but as a basic fact. That is, we typically don’t even think about it at all. We have our essential take on life and it seems only natural that others would share that take.
So often we comment, “I can’t believe he would do that,” meaning that we can’t imagine ourselves behaving in a particular manner and therefore can’t imagine anyone else doing so. Or we ask, “Why can’t she see the real issue here?” again implying that we can’t imagine missing the importance of such-and-such ourselves and thus can’t imagine anyone else failing to recognize it. Or perhaps we’ve shared with someone how to correct a bad habit, and then we’re mystified that he or she hasn’t implemented the program — or worse, that our suggestion seems unappreciated.
When we’re confounded because someone seems to perceive something differently than we do, it’s probably because that person actually does have an entirely different perspective on life! And one of the most significant transitions any of us can make in our adult development comes when our eyes (often suddenly) open to the truth that others’ perspectives are different from our own.
The enneagram shows us that there are nine basic takes on the world, and when we begin to understand them, we begin to understand ourselves, other people, our relationships, and our own psychological and spiritual issues much more clearly.
More about this later….
(For earlier posts not shown here, go to http://www.lablanche9.wordpress.com/.)
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