BLACK OR WHITE

When I was in elementary school, I got into a
major argument with a boy in my class. I have
forgotten what the argument was about, but I
have never forgotten the lesson I learned that
day.
I was convinced that “I” was right and “he”
was wrong – and he was just as convinced
that “I” was wrong and “he” was right. The
teacher decided to teach us a very important
lesson.
She brought us up to the front of the class
and placed him on one side of her desk and
me on the other. In the middle of her desk
was a large, round object. I could clearly see
that it was black. She asked the boy what
color the object was. “White,” he answered.
I couldn’t believe he said the object was
white, when it was obviously black! Another
argument started between my classmate and
me, this time about the color of the object.
The teacher told me to go stand where the
boy was standing and told him to come stand
where I had been. We changed places, and
now she asked me what the color of the
object was. I had to answer, “White.”
It was an object with two differently colored
sides, and from his viewpoint it was white.
Only from my side it was black.
Sometimes we need to look at the problem
from the other person’s view in order to truly
understand his/her perspective.