Frederick Langbridge: Attitude Is Everything
Attitude is everything
The two men that Frederick Langbridge was talking about could very well be prisoners, looking out of their cell through the metal bars in their window. However, they don't see the same thing; one sees merely what is right outside, mud, cold and depressing. On the other hand, the other man looks beyond, he looks upwards to the sky, he sees the starts, twinkling and free, possibly striking a chord in his heart — his own longing to be free.
Frederick Langbridge's statement serves to illustrate what is innate in all humans, a difference between one another. We may look the same on the outside but everyone is different, thinks differently, and sees differently on the inside. This is how we arrive at perspective. In a simple example, in our world we have both pessimists and optimists, no one will argue that they don't see things differently, after all, that is how those two terms came about. Possibly everyone has heard of the half-filled glass "experiment" — a pessimist will see the glass as being half empty while an optimist would see it as half full. A prime example of different people having different perspectives.
However, humans also happen to display this seemingly intrinsic ability to have common thoughts and feelings about matters. This is how morals came to being. Morals are simply laws that govern our lives that we set for ourselves and how else could we have come to this agreement had we not had the same perspective and view on certain matters? Even though the religious may argue that morals are simply laws set by God, as are the Ten Commandments, what about acts that are not governed by the commandments, such as giving up one's seat to a pregnant lady on a bus.
Still, humans are different to some extent, and always will be. Our different perspectives on things allow democracy to work, they give rise to discussions, to debates but unfortunately also to arguments and wars. One's perspective on things governs one's life. The
The two men that Frederick Langbridge was talking about could very well be prisoners, looking out of their cell through the metal bars in their window. However, they don't see the same thing; one sees merely what is right outside, mud, cold and depressing. On the other hand, the other man looks beyond, he looks upwards to the sky, he sees the starts, twinkling and free, possibly striking a chord in his heart — his own longing to be free.
Frederick Langbridge's statement serves to illustrate what is innate in all humans, a difference between one another. We may look the same on the outside but everyone is different, thinks differently, and sees differently on the inside. This is how we arrive at perspective. In a simple example, in our world we have both pessimists and optimists, no one will argue that they don't see things differently, after all, that is how those two terms came about. Possibly everyone has heard of the half-filled glass "experiment" — a pessimist will see the glass as being half empty while an optimist would see it as half full. A prime example of different people having different perspectives.
However, humans also happen to display this seemingly intrinsic ability to have common thoughts and feelings about matters. This is how morals came to being. Morals are simply laws that govern our lives that we set for ourselves and how else could we have come to this agreement had we not had the same perspective and view on certain matters? Even though the religious may argue that morals are simply laws set by God, as are the Ten Commandments, what about acts that are not governed by the commandments, such as giving up one's seat to a pregnant lady on a bus.
Still, humans are different to some extent, and always will be. Our different perspectives on things allow democracy to work, they give rise to discussions, to debates but unfortunately also to arguments and wars. One's perspective on things governs one's life. The