Flipping Perspective

Last night I stumbled upon this song called "Jij bent zo" which I found out some minutes later is the dutch cover of this Spanish song called "Silencio".

Watch both videos, they sound similar but the meanings of both songs are completely different which I thought was rather interesting.

Jij bent zo music video versus Silencio music video.

Jig bent zo lyrics versus Silencio lyrics.

It got me thinking that life is like a sheet of musical notes and what we do with those notes and how we interpret those notes is up to us.  It can be positive, or it can be negative, or it can be neither.  Each person's life is different, and each person's view points are personal and can only be viewed through their eyes.  And how we interpret those notes, is up to each of us to decipher.  And that can be hard, if you can't understand yourself it's impossible to understand others.  If you understand yourself, you only cling to people you can understand, because we're all tribal by nature.  But you learn a lot great deal more by thinking about how other people think, other people with different interpretations, and in doing so you push your own boundaries, your own understanding, and your horizon broadens.  You will feel like you are looking from the outside of a fish bowl.  It takes courage to learn about others and to understand them.  I'm always trying to understand other people, and that is hard.  It is because I am biased and I may not always be consciously aware of those biases.  My biases have created my interpretation of the music and therefore, it is hard to change that interpretation.  It is hard to be accepting of others different from you.  Do I wish I was in a purely English speaking country?  Of course I do.  It would be familiar.  But I would not learn as much, and I would not grow as much.  I would be a common fish in a fishbowl blowing the same bubbles as other fish.  Today I had dinner with a person who had no idea how to use chopsticks and never had sushi, and it suddenly dawned upon me that I am a complete observer with a different interpretation from the other.

That brings me to mainstream media.  I dislike mainstream media because it's never unbiased.  And the more I agree with them, the more I suspect what they're telling me.  A long time ago, I would not even question what is being told.  Today I question everything.  The mainstream media tells you all these things that are specifically tailored towards the mass majority, towards what people want to hear (their "interpretation").  But what if you switch around and look at things from a different perspective?  Most people believe that the war in Iraq and Afghanistan is for peace, for the people, for democracy, but is that the real truth?  What if you flip around and look at the underlying facts (the "notes"), that more civilians are killed than troops in wars, that governments are the ones who wage war?  Would you now believe that it's for peace?  Imagine if you were one of the people there who has suffered loss, would you believe the war is for peace?  Your interpretation will change.

Why do news publicise people in beards, or who believe in Islam as terrorists?  What's the main motivation?  Again do we simply believe what the mainstream media says, what is being shoved in front of our faces?  Or do we flip around and go "Wait a minute what are they really trying to convey here, what is message they are trying to pass on?  Have I been misled?"

Which brings me to.. financial advisors.  Many financial advisors advise you to take on more debt.  Why?  What if I do not take on more debt?  Does that mean you can't get wealthy if you do not take on more debt?  Does it make sense?  To get into debt to get rich is a complete contradiction itself.  Borrowing money to buy shares anyone?  Which is fair enough, but what if the shares go down?  What if housing is not the way to get wealthy (Americans would know the answer to that one.)?  In fact, what if all this western wealth is only the result of the greatest credit growth the world has ever known and nothing else?

I'm always trying to see things from a different point of view.  To be outside of my own being, if that makes sense.  I feel it is important to think about different perspectives, it makes me learn more and want to know more.