Different Perspectives

Every issue can be presented from different point of views; maybe changing the events that occurred but the issue remains the same. Presenting different points of views may lead to different opinions and different decision making. Being exposed to different perspectives grants a person the freedom to build their own opinion having in your hand all the information available; however other people believe oppression and narrow-thinking is better than having a free mind.
Every issue, every problem, every topic presents different point of views, different opinions, different ideas. Being exposed to all of these will give you the opportunity to rely on yourself, and challenge your mind to choose the best choice. The fact that you have a choice, and the decision is in your own hands, is a form of freedom, the freedom that everyone seeks in the world. Freedom is a civil right, an elementary constitution of the Republic. Article 18 of The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights state that “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”. The Freedom of thought starts at a young age and depends on the parenting style. A parent imposing their opinions and their ideas on their children is an abomination of their simple right. Their role should not exceed the role of the advisor of their child concerning matters that have multiple opinions and on which he should construct his own.
Teaching different perspectives makes you look at the event while standing in the other person’s shoes. Learning about the other’s opinion might change yours, facts might appear to be wrong, and stories might win your empathy. “Perspective = Empathy” (Raghava KK, Shake Up Your Story, Ted Talk, 2011). An example given by Raghava, an Indian artist, is that of religion. He’s a Hindu, raised in a Muslim neighborhood. He experienced both religions and that gave him both perspectives and made him gain more empathy towards the others. Looking at the Palestinian war, hearing the story from the Israeli point of view, you will be convinced that the Palestinians are the ones trespassing on the Israeli territories; however, when you listen to the Palestinian side of the same story, you will feel empathy towards them and your opinion on the matter might change.
One perspective and one point of view will lead to the creation of stereotypes. It has become a worldwide phenomenon where people are being judged based on their race, nationality, religion or a physical aspect of their bodies. The most famous ones are that of people with dark skin are criminals, Asian people are smart and Muslims are terrorists. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie gives a great example of how a single story becoming the only story can have its consequences. Adichie is an African writer who moved to the USA and experienced stereotyping, wither it’s from her side, or her roommate’s. One specific detail that caught her roommate’s attention is the music Chimamanda listens to. Her roommate, always hearing the American opinion about African people and not actually caring about the other opinion, made her believe Africans only listen to native African music while the truth is totally different. Focusing on a single perspective will change the story, mislead into believing wrong facts, and will eventually create a stereotype.
It has been proven that learning about multiple perspective increases and improves the critical thinking ability. “Critical thinking includes the component skills of analyzing arguments, making inferences using inductive or deductive reasoning, judging or evaluating, and making decisions or solving problems. Background knowledge is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for enabling critical thought within a given subject.
Bailin et al. (1999) argue that critical thinking instruction at the primary grade levels can include teaching students to * Respect others during discussion; * Be open-minded; * Be willing to see things from another’s perspective; * Use principles of critical thinking, such as considering alternatives before making a decision. “ (Pearson, Critical Thinking: A Literature Review)
Therefore, being exposed to different perspective will boost the critical thinking which will allow a better analytical view of the world.

A different opinion on the subject is that of exposing your child to different point of views might lead him to following a wrong path. Some parents believe that ideas should be hereditary, and should be passed on to the next generation to ensure a good path, at least from their point of view. One side of the story might be enough if it’s the right side. Children are not old enough to build their own ideas therefore they should be guided by their parents for them not to make any mistakes.
Stereotypes are caused by the media and not by teaching
A parent’s job is to advise their kids and teach them to differentiate right from wrong. That will make them take the right decision on their own and without being driven towards it. Moreover, their excuse is no reason for depriving their kids from their freedom.
There is no general right side of a single story; every story has different perspectives and different people supporting different perspectives. A better way of making your child follow on your footsteps is convincing them and having a logical debate based on worldwide facts and strong arguments.

http://www.pearsonassessments.com/hai/images/tmrs/criticalthinkingreviewfinal.pdf

http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml