PERSPECTIVE

Earlier this week, we walked along a part of the Kelvin Peninsula Trail in Queenstown. It was a gravel path that led us through forests, along a golf course to one side (a huge bonus for the single enthusiast in our group) and the clearest body of water on the other, with majestic mountain ranges in the distance. Clusters of yellow bush lupines, the brightest yellow and most fragrant flowers you could ever imagine, lined the path. 

And then! 

We saw two art installations along the path. The first one we saw was named Wakatipu Kuikui by Mark Hill.

The second we saw is named Thru Link to Peak by Shane Woolridge. I particularly loved this sculpture. From one perspective, it shows a broken link. From another, a complete link that seems to frame the view quite well, seemingly floating in the beauty. And from another, a complete link that balances on a base, grounding it to the earth.

I showed the girls these different perspectives. And then I tried to engage them in a conversation about how different perspectives can lead to different impressions, interpretations, and opinions. 

This trip has allowed me the opportunity to reflect on many things, one of which is “perspective.” Reflecting on why certain issues really matter to me. Why certain topics are so triggering for some. And why shared perspectives are so hard to come by. 

Today, in our hometown, arguments rage about a children’s book that features a little boy dressed as a mermaid and local officials have just banned the Pride flag from flying on town property.  And as the nation reels — again — from a mass shooting targeting the LGBTQ+ community — again — I think about perspective. Why is it so hard for us to accept that there’s another perspective, another experience, another way that is just as valued as our own?