Multiple Perspectives
Completion requirements
0.3 Multiple Perspectives
Multiple perspectives is the idea that people in various groups have various ways of looking at issues, depending on their histories, experiences, and backgrounds.
Consider the following fable from India.
Consider the following fable from India.
The Elephant and the Blind Men
Once upon a time, six blind men lived in a village. One day, the villagers told them an elephant had entered the village. They had no idea what an elephant was, so they decided to investigate.
The first man touched the elephant's leg. "Hey, the elephant is a pillar."
"Oh, no! It is like a rope," said the second man who touched the tail.
Once upon a time, six blind men lived in a village. One day, the villagers told them an elephant had entered the village. They had no idea what an elephant was, so they decided to investigate.
The first man touched the elephant's leg. "Hey, the elephant is a pillar."
"Oh, no! It is like a rope," said the second man who touched the tail.
"Oh, no! It is like a thick branch of a tree," said the third man who touched the trunk of the elephant.
"It is like a big hand fan," said the fourth man who touched the ear of the elephant.
"It is like a huge wall," said the fifth man who touched the side of the elephant.
"It is like a solid pipe," said the sixth man who touched the tusk of the elephant.
They began to argue about the elephant and each insisted he was right. They argued and shouted until a wise man stopped by and asked them what the matter was. They told him they could not agree about what the elephant was like.
The wise man listened thoughtfully to each, and then he told them that they were all partly right because each had encountered a different part of the elephant. But, he also said, they were all partly wrong because they had not touched every part of the elephant.
Full text of the original version can be found here.
The messages of this story include the following:
Canada is a nation of people from many backgrounds. Canadians have many perspectives based on their backgrounds. Their histories, values, experiences, and cultures give each group a different worldview. People from many parts of the world came together to create and develop our nation. All cultural groups have worked together to produce the dynamic and diverse country we know as Canada.
"It is like a big hand fan," said the fourth man who touched the ear of the elephant.
"It is like a huge wall," said the fifth man who touched the side of the elephant.
"It is like a solid pipe," said the sixth man who touched the tusk of the elephant.
They began to argue about the elephant and each insisted he was right. They argued and shouted until a wise man stopped by and asked them what the matter was. They told him they could not agree about what the elephant was like.
The wise man listened thoughtfully to each, and then he told them that they were all partly right because each had encountered a different part of the elephant. But, he also said, they were all partly wrong because they had not touched every part of the elephant.
Full text of the original version can be found here.
Reflect
The messages of this story include the following:
- Some truth exists in what each person sees.
- Sometimes we can see only part of the truth.
- Each person has his or her own perspective based on experience and understanding.
Canada is a nation of people from many backgrounds. Canadians have many perspectives based on their backgrounds. Their histories, values, experiences, and cultures give each group a different worldview. People from many parts of the world came together to create and develop our nation. All cultural groups have worked together to produce the dynamic and diverse country we know as Canada.