Perspective: Perspective is the mental state that combines available facts and personal ideas to shape a meaningful whole to the individual.
Opinion: Opinion is a belief, often firmly expressed as a judgment, but which does not rise to the level of fact. Opinions can be changed as new facts and ideas are presented to the individual. Opinion is important because you are important
Point Of View – Point of view or POV can be used to describe one’s physical or mental relationship to an object or event. You, or your characters, always have a specific POV.
I've long had the notion - and this goes back to hosting the old Fly Fish Alberta Forum - that I had a perspective or point of view that I simply shared. I felt as though I seldom had opinions. I don't know that I ever took stock of how I expressed the perspectives and points of view, how they were perceived, much less how others interpreted them - did others project my emphatic sharing as opinions? Nobody ever asked clarification. Further, as I've been in the fly fishing world for some time, starting as a 25 year old, was I even old enough to have enough life experience in the eyes of some of the old guard to have perspective and points of view on anything - no doubt mine was dismissed due to a lacking data set by some old codgers.
Did it matter? Really? No. But it was real at the time. Real, likely due to a lack of life experience in that I cared what others thought. And I certainly put myself out there - too much from my perspective.
I truly have few opinions - as far as I see and understand them. I'm not terribly wrapped up in so much being right. I certainly have some perspective and I honestly share in order to attempt to engage others in allowing them to share their point of view and perspectives - in order to understand them, where they are, how they arrived at their perspectives. I really love to understand how others think & see things, which is why I've loved guiding and hosting at Fortress Lake - engaging in great conversation based on perspectives is amazing to me. The trouble is that in doing so, sometimes you run into people that have some serious opinions - or at least they come across that way to me! But maybe, to them, their strong, over the top opinions are simply their ways of communicating and sharing their perspectives and points of view - and aren't intending to be so opinionated.
Does anyone really take the time to discuss this?
But, as the world of internet so frequently does, this comes down to me. Not so much me pimping myself out, but your understanding of me. I don't have too many opinions. I share here, on our Facebook page, on some forums, in some magazine articles and dvds - simply to share. If I bring up a sensitive topic, I do so anticipating that those who read the perspective appreciate it as a single person's point of view. I love the feedback, the interaction. I also realize the first rule of the internet: to share is to invite someone else's response. But that is good stuff... when the other person shares their identity and you can engage. I don't raise sensitive topics simply to pick on a person. In the case last year where I shared of a now ex-friend and his antics while fishing, I shared not out of spite, to look better than, to brow beat, or to ______... I did so in hopes that someone or others might see opportunity to avoid, to better communicate in their own ways in their relationships to steer clear of such interaction. I hoped others might benefit. Of course, that wasn't how it was taken by the individual I was discussing. Such is life. But that brings me forward to another concept, being wise in selecting friends, and recognizing what areas of your life to open, to what degree, to various people. And that's just a point of view on my perspective. My opinion doesn't mean much to you, but in the case of relationship, it's important to be honest with myself with my perspective, point of view, and opinion in that area.
I suspect, outwardly, my hope for more folks, especially in the "I'm right" world of fly fishing, that we approach each other with a mindset of sharing perspectives and points of view, by remembering when we speak we may be coming across strongly to others and soften our communication. And, when listening to others, I would encourage us all to listen - not looking for opinionated people but hearing those who might be coming across strongly to us, but intending to simply be sharing their thoughts, perspectives, and points of view. And in either delivering or receiving communication, not labeling someone as something from our perspective (ie - opinionated!) simply because we don't know how to understand each other. In all, it would be nice if folks would simply take the time to truly hear what others are saying and understanding where each is coming from rather than what we project them to be. But many can't even do this with their families, so how can we expect this engagement with friends, a magazine, or forum audience?
