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Exploring how our past experiences act like a pair of glasses that color how we see the world.
Have you ever wondered why you and your best friend can watch the exact same movie, but one of you thinks it’s a masterpiece while the other thinks it’s totally boring?
Quick Check
What is a 'mental lens' made of?
Answer
It is made of your past experiences, family, culture, and hobbies.
Our interests act like a 'zoom feature' on our mental lens. If you love skateboarding, when you walk through a city park, your lens zooms in on smooth concrete, curbs, and railings. You see a 'skate paradise.' However, if your friend loves botany (the study of plants), their lens zooms in on the types of oak trees or the health of the flowers. They see a 'nature sanctuary.' The park hasn't changed, but because your hobbies are different, the information your brain chooses to focus on is different.
Imagine an empty, grassy field. 1. The Soccer Player: Sees a perfect place to set up goals and practice drills. 2. The Artist: Sees the way the light hits the grass and wants to paint the colors. 3. The Result: Both look at the same of grass, but their hobbies tell them different stories about what the field is for.
Quick Check
If two people look at the same park, why might they see different things?
Answer
Because their different hobbies and interests cause their 'mental lenses' to focus on different details.
It isn't just hobbies that shape our lens; it's also our history. If you were once bitten by a dog, your mental lens might add a 'danger' filter whenever you see a puppy. Someone who grew up with five dogs might have a 'friend' filter. Neither person is 'wrong,' but their lenses are showing them different versions of reality. Understanding this is called empathy. When we realize someone has a different lens, we stop asking 'Why are they wrong?' and start asking 'What experiences shaped their view?'
Two students walk into a loud, crowded school cafeteria. 1. Student A grew up in a very large, loud family. Their lens interprets the noise as 'energy' and 'fun.' 2. Student B is an only child who spent most of their time in a quiet library. Their lens interprets the noise as 'chaos' and 'stress.' 3. The Challenge: Student A might think Student B is being 'grumpy,' but really, Student B's lens is just processing the environment differently based on their past.
A city decides to turn a dirt path into a paved sidewalk. 1. The Cyclist is happy because the 'smooth' lens sees a safer ride. 2. The Birdwatcher is sad because the 'nature' lens sees the loss of bugs that birds eat. 3. The Solution: By sharing their perspectives, they might agree to pave only half the path, showing how understanding different lenses leads to better solutions.
What does the 'Lens of Experience' analogy explain?
If a person loves architecture, what are they most likely to notice about a new building?
True or False: If two people disagree about a movie, one of them must be wrong.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, try to remember the equation:
Practice Activity
The 'Lens Swap': Find a friend and ask them what they notice first when they walk into a room. Compare it to what you notice first!