View Point

 A little while ago my husband and I went to see an excellent played entitled Ruined. The play was very well acted and the writing was a phenomenal. The play takes place in a brothel in the bush of war torn Democratic Republic of the Congo.  The characters were gripping and spellbinding. I was completely drawn into the horrors, the pain, the exasperation and the determination of the characters.
After a few days of reflection I came to understand the most important aspect of that play was view point. The writer captured each character's view point in a poignant manner that allowed you to understand, if not empathize with, them.  I began to think how much better we would all be if we could see where others were coming from, if we provided others the opportunity to express their side. More to the point, I began to think about how important it is for historians, writers, and journalist to capture various view points of events. Watching the news I often feel something is always missing. The world is to complex for matters to simply be good versus evil.  As my husband said, "conflicts arise because we all feel that we are right."  Hearing another view point won't necessarily change our minds, but it can remind us that we all have a point and hopefully we can treat each other with more understanding.
For parents this could mean cutting your kid some slack. No he or she isn't trying to press your buttons, they are engaged in an activity and might truly not hear you.  Let's take a breath and try and put ourselves in their shoes. It's stressful having someone else control so much of your life.
Hopefully I can keep the play's core aspect with me, we all have a side of the story to tell, and apply that when listening to and disciplining my children.