May 13, 2025 • 13 mins
In this episode of the Infinitely Precious podcast, James Henry explores the power and complexity of perspective—our personal, often unconscious lens shaped by life experience, upbringing, and identity. From mountain metaphors to Ted Lasso wisdom, James invites us to become more self-aware of the point of view we bring into every conversation and to recognize that others do the same. What happens when we stop trying to be right and start being curious? How do we honor another’s humanity—even when we disagree—without compromising our own? And when is it okay to walk away?
This gentle and thought-provoking episode encourages us to approach dialogue with humility, integrity, and grace. As always, you are reminded: you are infinitely precious and unconditionally loved for the gift that you are.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Intro (00:00):
Welcome to the infinitely precious podcast produced by
(00:03):
infinitely precious LLC. Yourhost is James Henry. Remember,
you are infinitely precious andunconditionally loved for the
gift you already are.
James (00:12):
Hello, beloved. It's me James and it's good to be with
you today. I wanted to sharesome thoughts that I had about
perspective, about point ofview, about the way we see the
world because indeed everysingle one of us has a
perspective, a point of view.And if we're just upfront about
(00:37):
it, it's a view from a point,our point, the place we find
ourselves. And that perspectivehas been created over a lifetime
within us.
It's been created by things likewhat our parents told us about
the world, what our teacherstold us about the world, what
(00:58):
other significant folks in theworld, about the by the very
things we think we are supposedto believe about the world. Our
perspective is created in thatway. And because of that, every
single one of us sees the worldthrough our own lenses. I
(01:19):
suspect that even people whotend to agree on many things
will find that theirperspectives are not identical
because the experiences thathave shaped each one of us are
unique and different. And so,it's like two different people
sitting on two different sidesof a mountain.
(01:39):
On one side, you look at themountain and you see these
beautiful cliffs and craggyrocks all over the place. On the
other side, which is much morelush, the other person sees lots
of forested slopes and it's thesame mountain, just from two
(02:01):
different sides. Imagine there'sa mesa on top of the mountain, a
flat spot. The person up theredoesn't even realize perhaps
that they're on a mountain. Theydon't see the world from the
same place either.
All of us come at life fromwhere we are and who we've
(02:22):
become. So, when we come incontact with other people, we're
naturally coming in contact withsomeone who sees the world
differently than we do. Theirperspective is not the same.
What shaped them is differentthan what shaped us. And so,
(02:42):
particularly in cases where ourperspectives are radically
different, rooted in wholedifferent ways of seeing the
world, people clash.
We see that a lot in theAmerican political landscape,
not just among politicians butbehind the devotees of various
(03:02):
religious and well, it's almosta religion political parties.
Those devotees have come to seethat their perspective is the
perspective rather than aperspective. And I want to say
something to you that isprobably going to sound obvious
(03:25):
and at the same time weird, butyou are not, I am not my
perspective. I am more than theway that I see the world. And so
if I can step back and recognizethat I have a perspective, you
have a perspective, anotherperson has another perspective,
(03:47):
if I can recognize and bringinto every conversation the
realization that we're coming atthis from different places, then
it might ease the way in whichwe discuss each other and we
discuss whatever topics come upamongst the conversation that we
have.
(04:09):
If I'm less invested in myrightness, my being correct and
more interested and curious inwhat you might have to say from
your perspective, then perhapsthe conversation has changed And
(04:29):
it becomes truly a conversation,not a shouting match, not an
argument. It becomes theopportunity to share our
differing perspectives andperhaps come to some common
grounds on the things that welook at when we come into
contact with one another. So,have some suggestions. I had
(04:52):
some thoughts as I pondered thisparticular topic about ways that
we could engage less divisivelywith one another. The very first
is something I've already said.
Recognize that you bring aperspective into every
conversation and thatperspective is your perspective.
(05:15):
It's not the only perspective,but it is a perspective. So
maybe before you enter or doanything else, you sit back and
you think, I'm going to be in aconversation about this given
topic with someone perhaps lateron. Where am I really coming
from? What has shaped me intobelieving what I believe about
(05:37):
the things I believe about theworld in which we live.
And how much of what I think isan opinion that's been shaped by
my life circumstances and howmuch of it is really based in
some way on reality. Because myexperience of reality and
(05:58):
reality itself are not alwaysthe same thing. I often shape my
experience of reality by theperspective I bring. So, can I
recognize that I have aperspective and what it is that
brings me to the place of havingthis particular point of view?
How did I get here?
(06:20):
Second of all, recognize thatyou're a gift. We've said this
many, many times in this podcastbut you are a gift just because
you're you. You are precious andloved just because you're you.
That's what makes you the giftthat you are. But the person
(06:40):
with whom you're having aconversation also is a gift,
also is precious and loved forwho they are.
And so, if you recognize that nomatter what they think and no
matter what you think in aconversation that you're both
going to still be precious onthe other side of that
(07:01):
conversation. You're both goingto still be loved on the other
side of that conversation. Maybenot by each other, but that
might give you at least somecommon ground to respect. I love
Ted Lasso of course and if youdon't, that's all right. And if
you've never heard Ted Lasso,then it's okay too.
(07:25):
But one of the phrases he usesin the first season, very be
curious not judgmental. Becurious not judgmental. And if
we enter every conversation witha kind of curiosity about what
the other person thinks and lessabout convincing them to think
like we think, not judging themfor the perspective they come to
(07:50):
the conversation with. Now, needto add a caveat to this respect
that I'm inviting you to havefor each other. If the other
person's perspective diminishesyour personhood, dehumanizes you
or someone you love, you haveevery right to walk away from
(08:13):
that because that's not aconversation.
That is a denigration. It wouldbe great if we could all be in
conversations with people andrecognize the common humanity we
share. And not only recognize itbut not judge people for the way
their humanity is shaped. Butunfortunately, that's just not
(08:35):
always possible. So you haveevery right to be self
protective.
You have every right to beprotective of the people that
you love because just becausesomebody has a different point
of view than you, you don't haveto respect it if it dehumanizes
another. Don't have to respectit, don't have to listen to it,
(08:56):
and don't have to stay in theface of it. That's not a
conversation that's robbing youof humanity. Having said that,
if it's about other kinds ofissues about which perhaps you
both share a common need, butthe solution is radically
(09:19):
different for each of thepersons in the conversation,
then that gives you if you canrecognize the common need, we
both want to see this problemsolved. My way to solve it is
this way, your way is that way.
There are two different ways.Perhaps in those moments,
(09:40):
recognizing the common need thatdraws you together, merely a
different set of solutions wouldallow you to look at those
pieces differently. So, I inviteyou this day as you enter into
(10:02):
conversations, as you arebecoming self aware in the way
that you approach life. First ofall, to take a step back, what
is my perspective and where doesit come from? What am I bringing
into every moment ofconversation?
What has my day looked like?What has my life looked like?
(10:25):
Where have I come from and whoam I? Because that's what you
bring. Remember that TEDlassoism, if you will, be
curious, not judgmental.
Be interested. Ask goodquestions. Good questions are a
way to enter into a conversationthat invites the other to tell
(10:48):
stories about how they came totheir conclusions. And while it
may be different than the waysyou came to your conclusions, at
least you'll understand wherethe perspective is coming from.
Recognize what perspective youare bringing to the
conversation.
Honor the gift that is someoneelse's view unless that gift
(11:15):
dehumanizes you or the peoplethat you love. It's very hard to
honor something that discountsyou as a human being because of
your gender identity or becauseof your sexuality or because of
your nationality or yourreligious background or your
economic stratum. If it's any ofthose kinds of things that are
(11:38):
robbing you of who you are, youdon't have to honor that as a
gift. In fact it's quite, maybenot quite the opposite but it's
different. Remember no matterwhat entering into every
conversation that you areinfinitely precious and
unconditionally loved for thegift that you are as is the
(12:04):
person that you're talking to.
And if you can do that, respectyourself, the gift that you are
coming into the conversation andthat you are bringing a
perspective, an opinion aboutsomething as opposed to the
opinion and that you are morethan the opinion or perspective
(12:25):
you have. You're a gift justbecause you're you as is the
person in front of you, theremight be a way to find a
connecting point. I spend a lotof time with people who don't
see the world always as I do.And I can either get very angry
about it and scream and shout alot, or I can try to listen. And
(12:50):
I invite you to try to do thesame.
Sometimes I succeed, sometimes Ifail, but I try to always
remember that I am indeed a giftas are you. And so until the
next time I see you, let thesetruths perhaps be a part of your
conversation. As always, Iwelcome any responses you might
(13:12):
have and any questions you mighthave and certainly any requests
for topics that you might have.You can always email me at
infinitelyprecious llcgmail dotcom. Until the next time I see
you, wish you all the best.
Welcome to the infinitely precious podcast produced by
(00:03):
infinitely precious LLC. Yourhost is James Henry. Remember,
you are infinitely precious andunconditionally loved for the
gift you already are.
James (00:12):
Hello, beloved. It's me James and it's good to be with
you today. I wanted to sharesome thoughts that I had about
perspective, about point ofview, about the way we see the
world because indeed everysingle one of us has a
perspective, a point of view.And if we're just upfront about
(00:37):
it, it's a view from a point,our point, the place we find
ourselves. And that perspectivehas been created over a lifetime
within us.
It's been created by things likewhat our parents told us about
the world, what our teacherstold us about the world, what
(00:58):
other significant folks in theworld, about the by the very
things we think we are supposedto believe about the world. Our
perspective is created in thatway. And because of that, every
single one of us sees the worldthrough our own lenses. I
(01:19):
suspect that even people whotend to agree on many things
will find that theirperspectives are not identical
because the experiences thathave shaped each one of us are
unique and different. And so,it's like two different people
sitting on two different sidesof a mountain.
(01:39):
On one side, you look at themountain and you see these
beautiful cliffs and craggyrocks all over the place. On the
other side, which is much morelush, the other person sees lots
of forested slopes and it's thesame mountain, just from two
(02:01):
different sides. Imagine there'sa mesa on top of the mountain, a
flat spot. The person up theredoesn't even realize perhaps
that they're on a mountain. Theydon't see the world from the
same place either.
All of us come at life fromwhere we are and who we've
(02:22):
become. So, when we come incontact with other people, we're
naturally coming in contact withsomeone who sees the world
differently than we do. Theirperspective is not the same.
What shaped them is differentthan what shaped us. And so,
(02:42):
particularly in cases where ourperspectives are radically
different, rooted in wholedifferent ways of seeing the
world, people clash.
We see that a lot in theAmerican political landscape,
not just among politicians butbehind the devotees of various
(03:02):
religious and well, it's almosta religion political parties.
Those devotees have come to seethat their perspective is the
perspective rather than aperspective. And I want to say
something to you that isprobably going to sound obvious
(03:25):
and at the same time weird, butyou are not, I am not my
perspective. I am more than theway that I see the world. And so
if I can step back and recognizethat I have a perspective, you
have a perspective, anotherperson has another perspective,
(03:47):
if I can recognize and bringinto every conversation the
realization that we're coming atthis from different places, then
it might ease the way in whichwe discuss each other and we
discuss whatever topics come upamongst the conversation that we
have.
(04:09):
If I'm less invested in myrightness, my being correct and
more interested and curious inwhat you might have to say from
your perspective, then perhapsthe conversation has changed And
(04:29):
it becomes truly a conversation,not a shouting match, not an
argument. It becomes theopportunity to share our
differing perspectives andperhaps come to some common
grounds on the things that welook at when we come into
contact with one another. So,have some suggestions. I had
(04:52):
some thoughts as I pondered thisparticular topic about ways that
we could engage less divisivelywith one another. The very first
is something I've already said.
Recognize that you bring aperspective into every
conversation and thatperspective is your perspective.
(05:15):
It's not the only perspective,but it is a perspective. So
maybe before you enter or doanything else, you sit back and
you think, I'm going to be in aconversation about this given
topic with someone perhaps lateron. Where am I really coming
from? What has shaped me intobelieving what I believe about
(05:37):
the things I believe about theworld in which we live.
And how much of what I think isan opinion that's been shaped by
my life circumstances and howmuch of it is really based in
some way on reality. Because myexperience of reality and
(05:58):
reality itself are not alwaysthe same thing. I often shape my
experience of reality by theperspective I bring. So, can I
recognize that I have aperspective and what it is that
brings me to the place of havingthis particular point of view?
How did I get here?
(06:20):
Second of all, recognize thatyou're a gift. We've said this
many, many times in this podcastbut you are a gift just because
you're you. You are precious andloved just because you're you.
That's what makes you the giftthat you are. But the person
(06:40):
with whom you're having aconversation also is a gift,
also is precious and loved forwho they are.
And so, if you recognize that nomatter what they think and no
matter what you think in aconversation that you're both
going to still be precious onthe other side of that
(07:01):
conversation. You're both goingto still be loved on the other
side of that conversation. Maybenot by each other, but that
might give you at least somecommon ground to respect. I love
Ted Lasso of course and if youdon't, that's all right. And if
you've never heard Ted Lasso,then it's okay too.
(07:25):
But one of the phrases he usesin the first season, very be
curious not judgmental. Becurious not judgmental. And if
we enter every conversation witha kind of curiosity about what
the other person thinks and lessabout convincing them to think
like we think, not judging themfor the perspective they come to
(07:50):
the conversation with. Now, needto add a caveat to this respect
that I'm inviting you to havefor each other. If the other
person's perspective diminishesyour personhood, dehumanizes you
or someone you love, you haveevery right to walk away from
(08:13):
that because that's not aconversation.
That is a denigration. It wouldbe great if we could all be in
conversations with people andrecognize the common humanity we
share. And not only recognize itbut not judge people for the way
their humanity is shaped. Butunfortunately, that's just not
(08:35):
always possible. So you haveevery right to be self
protective.
You have every right to beprotective of the people that
you love because just becausesomebody has a different point
of view than you, you don't haveto respect it if it dehumanizes
another. Don't have to respectit, don't have to listen to it,
(08:56):
and don't have to stay in theface of it. That's not a
conversation that's robbing youof humanity. Having said that,
if it's about other kinds ofissues about which perhaps you
both share a common need, butthe solution is radically
(09:19):
different for each of thepersons in the conversation,
then that gives you if you canrecognize the common need, we
both want to see this problemsolved. My way to solve it is
this way, your way is that way.
There are two different ways.Perhaps in those moments,
(09:40):
recognizing the common need thatdraws you together, merely a
different set of solutions wouldallow you to look at those
pieces differently. So, I inviteyou this day as you enter into
(10:02):
conversations, as you arebecoming self aware in the way
that you approach life. First ofall, to take a step back, what
is my perspective and where doesit come from? What am I bringing
into every moment ofconversation?
What has my day looked like?What has my life looked like?
(10:25):
Where have I come from and whoam I? Because that's what you
bring. Remember that TEDlassoism, if you will, be
curious, not judgmental.
Be interested. Ask goodquestions. Good questions are a
way to enter into a conversationthat invites the other to tell
(10:48):
stories about how they came totheir conclusions. And while it
may be different than the waysyou came to your conclusions, at
least you'll understand wherethe perspective is coming from.
Recognize what perspective youare bringing to the
conversation.
Honor the gift that is someoneelse's view unless that gift
(11:15):
dehumanizes you or the peoplethat you love. It's very hard to
honor something that discountsyou as a human being because of
your gender identity or becauseof your sexuality or because of
your nationality or yourreligious background or your
economic stratum. If it's any ofthose kinds of things that are
(11:38):
robbing you of who you are, youdon't have to honor that as a
gift. In fact it's quite, maybenot quite the opposite but it's
different. Remember no matterwhat entering into every
conversation that you areinfinitely precious and
unconditionally loved for thegift that you are as is the
(12:04):
person that you're talking to.
And if you can do that, respectyourself, the gift that you are
coming into the conversation andthat you are bringing a
perspective, an opinion aboutsomething as opposed to the
opinion and that you are morethan the opinion or perspective
(12:25):
you have. You're a gift justbecause you're you as is the
person in front of you, theremight be a way to find a
connecting point. I spend a lotof time with people who don't
see the world always as I do.And I can either get very angry
about it and scream and shout alot, or I can try to listen. And
(12:50):
I invite you to try to do thesame.
Sometimes I succeed, sometimes Ifail, but I try to always
remember that I am indeed a giftas are you. And so until the
next time I see you, let thesetruths perhaps be a part of your
conversation. As always, Iwelcome any responses you might
(13:12):
have and any questions you mighthave and certainly any requests
for topics that you might have.You can always email me at
infinitelyprecious llcgmail dotcom. Until the next time I see
you, wish you all the best.
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