Take a look at the above-indicated picture. What do you see? Perhaps you think you’re looking at a shower wall with ceramic tile. Or is it a brick wall comprised of unique blocks? Do you even know what it is you’re looking at?
Sometimes, when focusing too intently on a matter, people lose sight of the bigger picture. The artwork featured above was created by artificial intelligence (AI) and doesn’t depict a wall.
In order to better understand what you’re looking at, you’ll need a perspective shift—alteration of one’s point of view in order to better understand a subject or to think differently about a matter. I use perspective shifts to help me achieve success with my interests and goals.
Zooming out from the AI image, the shape of a colorful flower appears. The useful perspective shift tool allows you to apply new information toward previously considered data so that a clearer understanding of a matter can be achieved.
When thinking of interests, I maintain curiosity about the Stoic philosophical concept of eudaimonia—a well-lived life or the state of well-being. This approach to rational living is incompatible with yearning for what one doesn’t have.
When thinking of goals and in the interest of well-being, the end toward which effort is directed for my own life requires steps which involve perspective shifts. In other words, if I want to live well, I’ll need to routinely alter my perception of life.
Shifting perspective of the AI picture, what do you think about what you originally saw and what you now understand about the image? It would appear as though the colorful flower basking in sunlight represents life. One can imagine a well-lived existence under these conditions.
Still, I wonder if an interest in eudaimonia and a goal for well-being is a bit shortsighted if all one seeks is to experience joy, pleasure, or happiness. Plausibly, an image of a flower in sunshine brings forth imaginatively positive emotions.
Yet, is that what life is about – seeking “good vibes” without consideration of other elements of existence? If the six core emotions of humans include joy, fear, anger, sorrow, disgust, and surprise, how many of these feelings would you consider positive, negative, or neutral?
Fear, anger, sorrow, and disgust are typically considered negative emotions. With this outlook, it’s not worth applying a moralistic label of “bad” to these innate feelings. Rather, it’s part of the human condition to suffer to some degree.
Your young child suddenly dies and you’re angry. Your grandparent passes away after a relatively long life and you’re sad. You accidentally step too close to a ledge of a canyon and you’re afraid. You unintentionally stumble across a gross image on the Internet and you’re disgusted.
Life is rife with positive, negative, and neutral elements. Therefore, using a perspective shift to include realistic goals may be worth considering, despite whatever unrealistic interests a person maintains. As such, allowing for negative emotions to exist without judgment may be useful.
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) incorporates existentialist concepts into this psychotherapeutic modality as a means of helping people to get better and not merely feel better. After all, a well-lived life infers that there will be an inevitable death to one’s existence.
Although you may appreciate positive feelings when thinking about life, it may be worth your time to also contemplate your own death. Resistance to doing so may not feel good. Nevertheless, doing so may help you get better with experiencing uneasy emotions about dying.
Shifting perspective of the AI image, a clearer understanding is attained. A grim character appears to be holding the flower that earlier in this post symbolized life. Who is it that grasps what appears to be a red rose?
Why is the shadowy figure’s gaze fixed upon the flower, as to imply the inescapable clutch of an uncertain end? Not always does shifting one’s perspective lead to desirable outcomes. You likely thought I’d displayed a picture of a shower wall initially, though now you’re probably uncertain about the meaning of the image.
This, too, is a factor of life. Each of us will suffer in life and our existence isn’t accompanied by certainty. This honest assessment of existence isn’t something about which to self-disturb. Recall, eudaimonia is incompatible with yearning for what one doesn’t have (more time in life) – or about what one doesn’t know (when one will die).
Zooming out till the AI image is fully realized, you can see a Grim Reaper character representing death as it clutches a rose which is illustrative of life. The stem of the flower is long, though not lengthy enough to last forever.
So, too, is the fact of life. Each of us may exist for varying amounts of time, though each of us will eventually die. No one you know, ever knew, or ever will know escapes death. After all, death is ever-present in the world.
Perhaps standing in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, the representation of an end to life depicted in the AI image is nothing about which to be fearful, angry, sorrowful, or disgusted beyond what is considered a healthy versus unhealthy negative emotional response.
Besides, I doubt you experienced suffering when plausibly thinking this post featured a shower wall with a questionable color profile. Thus, merely shifting your perspective doesn’t bring about unpleasant emotions.
Rather, when thinking about matters in a different way so that you may better understand them, it’s the beliefs you maintain about what you see which may cause uneasy feelings. As such, when using the helpful tool of a perspective shift you may want to also modify your beliefs.
For instance, when contemplating that you are represented as a rose which is embraced by sunshine and that you’ll one day be clenched by the grip of death, you can choose not to self-disturb with unhelpful beliefs about the matter. Rather, you can consider your interests and goals.
How do you want to live? Knowing you will one day die, is it in your best interests to fixate on uncertainty while letting life pass you by? Is your goal to spend your remaining time in existence devoted toward misery?
Personally, a eudaimonic lifestyle is one in which I acknowledge that death is inescapable. Consequently, I can pursue a well-lived life with what time I have left on my floral stem.
What perspective shift may you apply to your own life in regard to an inevitable death? Would you like to know more about how to modify unhelpful beliefs about the fact that you will one day die? If so, I look forward to hearing from you.
If you’re looking for a provider who works to help you understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.
As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.
At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply helping you to feel better, I want to help you get better!
Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW
References:
Hollings, D. (2022, March 15). Disclaimer. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/disclaimer
Hollings, D. (2024, April 26). Eudaimonia. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/eudaimonia
Hollings, D. (2024, April 21). Existentialism. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/existentialism
Hollings, D. (2023, September 8). Fair use. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/fair-use
Hollings, D. (2023, October 12). Get better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/get-better
Hollings, D. (2024, April 13). Goals. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/goals
Hollings, D. (2024, January 6). Happiness is a by-product. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/happiness-is-a-by-product
Hollings, D. (n.d.). Hollings Therapy, LLC [Official website]. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/
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Hollings, D. (2023, September 19). Life coaching. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/life-coaching
Hollings, D. (2023, October 2). Morals and ethics. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/morals-and-ethics
Hollings, D. (2023, September 3). On feelings. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/on-feelings
Hollings, D. (2023, April 24). On truth. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/on-truth
Hollings, D. (2023, September 15). Psychotherapeutic modalities. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapeutic-modalities
Hollings, D. (2022, March 24). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy-rebt
Hollings, D. (2024, May 15). Rational living. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-living
Hollings, D. (2022, November 1). Self-disturbance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/self-disturbance
Hollings, D. (2024, April 21). Stoicism. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/stoicism
Hollings, D. (2023, September 6). The absence of suffering. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-absence-of-suffering
Hollings, D. (2024, March 18). Unhealthy vs. healthy negative emotions. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/unhealthy-vs-healthy-negative-emotions
Versoulen, B. (2024, June 3). Grim reaper cradling a wilting flower [Image]. Playground. Retrieved from https://playground.com/post/grim-reaper-cradling-a-wilting-flower-touch-of-melancholy--clwzi2z5501ze5mwyf4pu7s8x
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