Self-guided Tours

After watching a TED Talk performed by Lisa Bu, I entered a new state of understanding. She declared a simple, yet powerful statement, “A map actually carries somebody’s view”. Although she was referring to the way that the world map is presented differently to Chinese students than Americans, her insight enlightened my view of my small world. What if we applied this same concept to the way we interact with others around us. Consider for a moment, the power that exists in reading a map from an angle that is unfamiliar to you, with the hope of gaining understanding of that view. Although, this view may be a shift from how our perspective functions, someone in the world is seeing things from that particular lens. Understanding cultures, feelings, and points of view works similarly. We have to align with the idea of seeking to understand that which is outside of our point of view. An internal shift must occur in us. Similar to physically changing our coordinates on a map, we have to get beyond ourselves to grasp the value of believing that other perspectives are equal to, if not more important than, our own.

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