As I was leaving today, a coworker meaning well called me over to her window. She pointed out her window to a rainbow that was piercing the clouds in such a way that it looked cut in half. It was a beautiful and rare scene, and I was glad she called me over. But after complimenting her, a thought jumped into my head.
“You know, a rainbow is a celebration is a rain cloud’s death,” I said, realizing that my sad sense of humor probably would not translate in that moment. I did not.
But the bad joke made me think as I walked to the car. Truly everything is life is a matter of perspective. Case in point – a person who loves the rain may bemoan a rainbow because it means the end of a beautiful storm to watch. While most of us love rainbows, are we unintentionally ostracizing those with a different perspective? Can we work with those people who see life differently than us, or value things differently?
A dumb joke turned in a true philosophical moment – we live in a world where we are surrounded by people who view the same situations and the same truths in a different light. Sometimes (ok, truthfully, often time) their version of truth is wrong, but we have to work with/live with/interact with these kinds of people. Do we have the foresight and patience to work with these people to achieve our common goal?
Robert Hay Jr. 