Al&#039;s Outreach Outtakes

May 8, 2021

Happy Mother’s Day!

Be certain to give Mom a big hug and thank you today if you can. Remembrance in pray works too. To all you Mom’s out there, thank you so very much for your love, compassion and sturdy hand. You helped shape us into the people we are today. You deserve far more than one day of recognition!

Each week a certain individual (you know who you are) stops by to see me and we have a chat. The conversation almost always involves politics, but can drift to cover a number of various topics. During one of our recent discussions we began talking about how peoples perspective varies and the fact that the lens through which we view life impacts not only how we see events or political issues, but our perception of other people. Growing up in the Midwest, part of a very large extended family many of whom are farmers, gave me a very different set of experiences than my wife who comes from a much smaller family and was raised in California. We frequently have different views on things. Neither is necessarily right or wrong (right, dear?) but we see things through lenses that are based on our experiences from when we were much younger.

This concept is not new. Early in my management career I taught a class on this very topic. Our experiences including what we were taught, who we hung around with, what we read or saw all come together to influence us in some way or another. It all also influences how we view and perceive others. It is human nature for us to quickly develop an opinion or perception of someone based on superficial looks or the settings in which we encounter them. The lenses we form throughout life are what we look through all day, every day.

So next time you look at someone with a little skepticism ask yourself, is it them, or is it me? And then be certain to give Mom that hug. She has a tough job trying to mold you!

Happy Mother’s Day!