Today I have been thinking about our “point of view” on things. How we perceive them opposed to others. First I’m going to throw a couple of quotes from Star Wars films, concerning points of view:

Revenge of the Sith

PALPATINE: Good is a point of view, Anakin. And the Jedi point of view is not the only valid one. The Dark Lords of the Sith believe in security and justice also, yet they are considered by the Jedi to be. . .

ANAKIN: . . . evil.

PALPATINE: . . . from a Jedi’s point of view. The Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way, including their quest for greater power. The difference between the two is the Sith are not afraid of the dark side of the Force. That is why they are more powerful.

———

Return of the Jedi

BEN: You father was seduced by the dark side of the Force. He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man who was your father was destroyed. So what I have told you was true… from a certain point of view.

LUKE: A certain point of view!

BEN: Luke, you’re going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.

———

Some interesting thoughts there from Star Wars. Palpatine tells Anakin, in Revenge of the Sith, that “good” is a point of view. Another thing I gain from that quote, is that perhaps what we are taught, as humans, affects what we believe is good or bad. Our upbringing? Our instincts? Our morals? Who knows? That brings us to the question, how much instinct do we really have…and how much is taught? I’ve often wondered that. I mean I know that we do have instincts, as humans, but I often wonder how much is “built in.” Very interesting.

Look at Ben’s quote from Return of the Jedi, that “many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.” That surfaces a question; do we sometimes use that to our advantage in life? Who knows? But it’s an interesting thought. The Bible even talks about this to an extent. I don’t know the exact scripture right off, but basically what it says is, if your brother eats meat, and you have something against it, don’t cast judgment on them for it. Well that makes me wonder a lot about some people. I’ve seen Christians bash homosexuals, simply for being homosexual. I don’t believe that’s right. I don’t believe boycotting something, and having nothing to do with an organization, is the “Christian,” thing to do. I don’t believe that’s what God intended. Who am I to judge a homosexual? I don’t know what that person is thinking. A person’s sexual preference is nobody’s business but their own. Now don’t get me wrong here; I think morally homosexuality is wrong. I don’t want to be accused of being for “gay rights.” I’m against it, but I don’t see why it’s anyone’s business but that person’s. That could also be considered a “point of view,” discussion.

I guess the bottom line is, people should sometimes be more open minded. We can’t ever see or feel what someone else is thinking, therefore who are we to judge? It all comes down to our point of view.