“No one, no one is blinder
Than he who will not see
No one, no one is blinder
Than me” – I threw a brick – U2

One of the things that fly-fishing has taught me (and continues to teach me) is that to be successful you need to have some understanding of a trout’s point of view. You need to know the types of food it is looking for. That can vary depending on water clarity, temperature, time of year, and what’s available, just to name a few things. You need to understand what the fish’s field of view is based on water clarity, whether or not the water surface is agitated or calm; in other words, what can it see? You also need to understand that trout are both predators and prey which influences their behavior greatly. Perspective matters.

I often take my own perspective for granted and assume it’s normative for everyone. In other words, my experience and views should be everyone’s view, right? I often assume, wrongly I might add, that if someone’s view or experience is different from mine then there must be something wrong with them. And without realizing it I completely dismiss and invalidate the views and experiences of someone else. If I were to apply that same presumptive logic to fly fishing, I would assume that trout think like I do; that the trout’s experience is the same as mine. If I did that I would have absolutely no success in connecting with the trout. The same is true with people.

I’ve been reading a lot about the racial tensions in our society. The recent deaths of people of color like George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Eric Gardner, Philando Castille, Breonna Taylor, and Amaud Arbery just to name a few, have caused me to rethink my assumptions about the experience of other people. As a white male, who has grown up in predominantly white settings, I have to admit that my experiences are quite different than many if not most people of color. I’ve never really worried about being followed in a store because security is watching to see if I’d steal something just because of the color of my skin. I’ve never had to worry about being stopped by police simply because I was ‘driving while black.’ In other words, driving the wrong kind of car in the wrong kind of neighborhood. As a white man I am given the benefit of the doubt when interacting with the police: I get to walk away if I’ve done nothing wrong. I am realizing that’s not always true for my friends who are people of color. And because of that reality, many of my friends who are people of color live with a daily fear for themselves and their families. I’ve never been denied a loan or refused housing because of where I wanted to live. Their experience of life is much different than mine, but no less valid because it’s not mine. Perspective matters, and the ability to see the world through someone else’s perspective matters greatly.

As a follower of Jesus, I am compelled to see the world through the eyes of others. I am compelled to see another person’s intrinsic worth because they, like me, are created in the image of God even if they don’t look like me. And if another person is just as beloved in the eyes of God as I am, then I am compelled to stand in solidarity with them. It’s about empathy and compassion. It’s about taking Jesus’s command to love our neighbor as ourselves seriously. In fact scripture calls us to put the needs of others, particularly those marginalized, alienated, cast aside, and ‘othered’ ahead of our own needs and desires in the kind of love Jesus modeled: self-sacrificing love rooted in the belief that everyone is worthy of God’s love and mercy. Everyone. No exceptions.

So, God is challenging and changing my perspectives. I am beginning to see the world through the lens of others who are different than me. I am seeing that just because my experience is different it doesn’t mean their experience is wrong or invalid. And perhaps I’m beginning to see more clearly. I am reminded of the words of a blind man who sought Jesus for healing. Jesus asked him, “What do you want?” The blind man responded without hesitation, “Lord, I want to see!” That is becoming my regular prayer as well.

D~