Gaining Perspective

I heard a caller on a talk radio show say something to the effect that with age comes perspective.  The host seemed to agree, as if perspective is something that can be learned or earned over time.  In this sense, perspective seems equal to experience or, better yet, wisdom.  They were trying to answer the question of whether it is better to burn out or fade away, and the consensus seemed to be that youth was in the moment, but that age gained perspective to reach to proper conclusion that it is better to fade away.

I certainly hope that, over time, I gain experience and wisdom.  I like to think that now that I'm 35, I make better decisions than when I was 25.  Or 20, 18, 15. 

But experience and wisdom aren't perspective.  They are one or more perspectives.

By definition, perspective is a vantage point; it is the angle by which an object or situation is viewed.  Just ask any artist, any photographer.  In fact, artistic perspective is just about the only kind of perspective that is learned over time.  I remember pulling out rulers in art class, drawing perspective lines that met at an infinite horizon.  When I joined these lines with perfect vertical lines, I got a pretty realistic streetscape.  Yay for me.  This wasn't wisdom; it was hardly art.

Perspective in life is something that every person possesses regardless of age, experience or wisdom.  My perspective is uniquely mine at this point in space and time.  It is different than Stacy's or Grayson's, but theirs is no less valid or correct than mine.  To disregard their perspective as anything less than mine because they are younger (yes... I married a younger woman) is pretentious at best. To dismiss theirs now would be to dismiss my current perspective tomorrow... and I think my perspective is pretty valid right now.

I didn't have the time to call into the radio show and offer my perspective on perspectives... so I have this blog, and my perspective is this:

We all have perspectives; it isn't something that is gathered over time.  It is just something that changes over time.  At this moment in time, I'd prefer to fade away. 

Tomorrow, though, I might prefer to burn out. 

Both will be valid to me in the moment, and that is all that matters.