Mindfulness & Perspective: Seeing Beyond Our Truth

How Mindfulness Helps Us See Beyond Our Own Truth

A Lesson in Perspective from Mt. Rushmore

During a Habitat for Humanity trip to a South Dakota reservation, I experienced a profound moment of perspective shift. Our guide Elvis—a warm, humorous Lakota man—stood with our group at the base of Mt. Rushmore. As we marveled at the monument, he offered a perspective I'd never considered:

"Imagine there was a statue of the man who raped your mother in your living room. Imagine you were forced to carve it."

This visceral analogy about colonization's legacy created a silent, heavy moment that forever changed how I view American symbols and history.

Why Mindfulness Matters for Expanding Perspectives

The Power of Widen Your Lens

Mindfulness practice gives us two crucial gifts:
1. Awareness of our limited perspective - Recognizing our unique worldview isn't the only one
2. Ability to temporarily unhook - Creating space to consider other truths

As Elaine Smookler writes in Mindful magazine, this helps us remain open to life's "full dazzling array of beauty" we might otherwise miss.

Bridging Perspective Gaps with Compassion

Research by neuroscientist Dr. Amishi Jha shows mindfulness:
- Strengthens our attention systems
- Helps us respond rather than react
- Creates space for compassionate curiosity

Indigenous Wisdom on Mindfulness & Healing

Four Indigenous teachers share how their practices:
- Connect to ancestral knowledge
- Foster community healing
- Honor relationships with all beings

Their approaches remind us that mindfulness comes in many forms beyond meditation cushions.

Practical Steps to Expand Your Perspective

1. Pause before reacting - Notice your automatic judgments
2. Get curious - Ask "What part of this story am I missing?"
3. Seek diverse voices - Read/listen to perspectives unlike yours
4. Practice compassionate inquiry - "Help me understand your experience"

The Gift of Not Knowing

Mindfulness teaches us to:
- Welcome discomfort of not having all answers
- Sit with partial truths
- Breathe through the tension of differing perspectives

As Dr. Sara Lomax-Reese emphasizes, contemplative spaces belong to everyone—and in them, we find our shared humanity.

Explore more perspectives in Mindful magazine's December issue, featuring Indigenous wisdom keepers and neuroscience research on attention.