Anyone with a basic knowledge of astronomy knows that the constellations are imaginary connections we make from the perspective of our planet. Go elsewhere in the universe and the connections will disappear. Constellations are handy references, however, that form a common language of the sky. The August Perseid Meteor Shower, for example, appears to emanate from the Perseus constellation. Want to see the meteors, then look toward Perseus as the point from which they appear to emanate. The famous “belt of Orion” that is composed of three bright points of light in a line, is not, in fact, a set of stars that lie in a line, all equidistant from Earth. Called either the Three Sisters or Three Kings, the stars that comprise the belt are Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka, lying, in turn, at over 700, 1300, and 900 light years from Earth. It’s our perspective that enables us to impose a geometric line on their orientation. The line is in our brain.
We have a tendency to impose structures on phenomena and people from our perspectives. “What choice do we have?” you might ask. After all, what we see is the reality with which we must deal. Right?
Knowledge changed our perspective on Orion’s belt. Once we understood what stars are and how their distances differ, we learned to obtain, if not a change in visual perspective, a change in mental perspective. We learned a new reality. We know that there is not a “real” Orion belt. Now what about those perspectives we have on people? Isn’t it possible that in ignorance we impose false structures and relationships on personalities?
No further delving into the reality of Orion’s belt is necessary for those uninterested in the stars. The Three Sisters just look as though they lie in a line, and they serve as a contrast to all those other stars that look randomly distributed. Enough said. With people, however, the absence of knowledge is a root of bias, from idolizing to hating.
We are always advised to “know ourselves.” Maybe we should have a corollary bit of advice: “Know others.” Neither bit of advice is easy to follow, but the latter is one that will keep us from seeing things that really aren’t there.
We have a tendency to impose structures on phenomena and people from our perspectives. “What choice do we have?” you might ask. After all, what we see is the reality with which we must deal. Right?
Knowledge changed our perspective on Orion’s belt. Once we understood what stars are and how their distances differ, we learned to obtain, if not a change in visual perspective, a change in mental perspective. We learned a new reality. We know that there is not a “real” Orion belt. Now what about those perspectives we have on people? Isn’t it possible that in ignorance we impose false structures and relationships on personalities?
No further delving into the reality of Orion’s belt is necessary for those uninterested in the stars. The Three Sisters just look as though they lie in a line, and they serve as a contrast to all those other stars that look randomly distributed. Enough said. With people, however, the absence of knowledge is a root of bias, from idolizing to hating.
We are always advised to “know ourselves.” Maybe we should have a corollary bit of advice: “Know others.” Neither bit of advice is easy to follow, but the latter is one that will keep us from seeing things that really aren’t there.
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