hmmm
Perspectives. Whenever I think of that word I think of that scene in Notting Hill after Hugh Grant's character opens the door to the photographers in his boxers. And she says to him, "Our perspectives are different" and proceeds to walk out the door and break his heart. Poor Julia comes off as a bitch. (But she's also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her...!!). Yet, that's a story for a another day.
However, thinking of perspectives and how we as a general populus refuse to examine or understand others points of view. You can say that Osama Bin Laden is killing people. Yes, it's a fact that he's committing atrocious acts of terrorism around the world. But at the same time, George W. Bush is killing people all over the world, under the name of "freedom." We insist on painting a picture of the Iraqi's, Afghans, Koreans, and Iranians that suit our purposes. We make them all out to be terrorists and killers. Some are painted as committing acts in the name of their religion, others because they're not as intelligent or advanced as the United States.
But Islam, Buddhism, or Hinduism are not the problem. Even Osama Bin Laden is not the problem. The problem is hatred and the refusal to accept others. We insist on trying to discover the worst about people and exploit it. There are resources that allow us to learn about other cultures and religions, and we still remain in the same ignorant state of mind. No matter who you are, what you're "figthing" for, killing is still killing. The "other" is not going anywhere. Instead of trying to elminate them, why don't we work to try and accept and understand each other?
This constant fighting over whose God is right, is not in the true spirit of any professed belief in God. Does it really matter who is right? I dont understand why we can't allow everyone to simply believe in their own religion. There's no need to convert, or kill to prove that you're right or wrong. Because the last time i checked, we're all human beings, not God. Even the most intelligent person in the world, the supreme genius, could have it all wrong. Somehow I dont think the meaning of life is to kill everyone who doesn't agree with you. Our perspectives may be different, but the link connecting us all-just being human-is not.