Changing Our Angle of Vision

When I look outside my office window, what I see is a dead tree. A family of squirrels, on the other hand, sees the perfect place to build a nest, and cardinals and blue jays see a choir stall. The squirrels and birds bring life and beauty to something that, from my perspective, is dead and ugly.

The poet Jane Hirshfield says that we need to change our angle of vision to see the beauty that is still here despite our focus on the darkness. Changing our angle of vision requires putting aside our judgments and being able to look at something from another being’s perspective, whether that be God, another human, or an animal or plant.

Beauty exists in the harshest of circumstances because God’s goodness and creative impulse are present everywhere. When the Nazi regime operated concentration camps from 1933–1945, many of the persons imprisoned there clung to the beauty of prayer, song, and their ability to be kind to each other. In our current pandemic, when families can’t be with their loved ones in hospitals, doctors and nurses are providing comfort to the dying through the beauty of their compassionate presence.

When things appear dark, we can change our angle of vision with the tools of creativity and good works. As Fr. Daniel Berrigan said, “If you want to be hopeful, you have to do hopeful things.” Planting a new tree and maintaining contact with others through prayer and song are good places to start.