Position, not timing, is everything. It’s not where you are, but where you’ve been. A person is a summation of all of their life’s experiences. So on. So forth.

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about perspectives and opinions and how the later is so dependant on the former, yet usually unaware of it’s very existence. Let me demonstrate.

Kyle (our protagonist) goes to Boogie Records to check out the new releases. After a prolonged stay and listening session, he finally decides on the new Jimmy Eat World disc. He pays, and quickly (but yet hip-ly) shuffles to his car to sink into sonic enjoyment. He loves the album. In fact, Kyle hasn’t taken the album out of his car in over two weeks. And Kyle drives a lot.

But at school, Kyle overheard Marty (his classmate) mention to someone that the new Jimmy Eat World disc ‘sucks.’ Perplexed, Kyle insterts his two pennies and claims that he thinks it’s even better than Bleed American because of it’s depth and maturity. He says that while maybe not as radio-friendly, the album is richer and more progressive, yet still hasn’t lost the meolodic, chordant rock-ability that the band became known for. Marty doesn’t want to hear it.

So in this scenario, who’s right? Well, both are. In Kyleville, Futures is the better of the two albums, no questions asked. He has ‘informed’ opinions and reasons to back it up. This is why Kyle thinks that he is right. Nearby in Martytown, though, it gets no better than Bleed American. Marty doesn’t have any reasoning, other than the fact that he doesn’t like it. The last album made him happy and was linked to good times in his life. This just isn’t working for him. What Kyle doesn’t understand, is that maybe it’s stuff in Marty’s life that is different now that affects his opinion. Or maybe Marty doesn’t see that Kyle is more partial to minor-key composition (subconsciously, of course), and therefore is biased against the older album. It just depends on where your ‘standing.’

Beyond music, this applies a million times a day. Politics has stolen the limelight as of late, with people’s bruised ego’s and intellects bumping (ok, smashing) into one another at work and on the national stage. Both sides think they’re always right. Neither side often considers the other’s perspective.

With music, there’s nothing to lose. Marty doesn’t care what Kyle thinks, and Kyle doesn’t care if Marty likes the new album or not (he may think his classmate is musical clod, but that’s beside the point). Nothing is lost in the airing of differences. But with politics, damage does occur. Grudges are often formed and held. People hate/distrust/think differently of another because of their political stance.

In all of this politcal whirlwind I’ve been trying to force myself to understand and consider people’s backgrounds. Why do they believe this? Why do they support that? If I can understand why someone would vote against an issue that I think, clearly and unquivocally is the right choice, I can’t get mad at them. I cannot even get frustrated. I learn to accept their choice, because they have a reason for believing that. I may not understand it, but I’ll try.

I guess in all of this, I don’t understand the earplugging, blindeye lifestyles of others. Perhaps I even ascribe to the Henry Rollins school of thought, which is to experience things first hand in order to form opinions (he said once something to the effect of ‘when it’s cold, go without a coat. feel what cold really is.’). I cannot think that poverty is not an issue and dismiss it if I’ve never understood it, and so on.

I suppose that’s my point - I hope I never lose the desire to learn from others, from my experiences, to grow and feel. I pray that I never turn a deaf ear to someone of the opposite opinion. The day I start making decisions based on just “what I feel” without considering another perspective, is hopefully the day that I die.