Holism and the “Personal Lens”
By James P. Longo
Where development of creativity is concerned, it is important to consider the whole person and our individual differences that create the personal lens through which we see the world.
sustainability, are attributed in large part, to a deficit of creativity-centered education. Creative education, however, doesn’t have to occur solely in art classes. In fact, in order to engage the whole brain, ideas born of the “right brain” must be integrated with functions normally associated with that of the left hemisphere, hence the need for a holistic approach to teaching and learning. Where development of creativity is concerned, it is important to consider the
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whole person and our individual differences that create the personal lens through which we see the world. Most misunderstandings occur because of the unique way in- dividuals perceive each moment. It is widely acknowledged, for instance, that a group of people witnessing a single event cannot agree upon the details of what they saw. We often forget that others do not see things as we do, and take for granted a certain shared view of reality. Even those who realize that individual differences are in play do not understand just how significant those differences might be, especially when it comes to their closest relationships. Acknowledging the existence of this “Personal Lens” opens a pathway to creativity and communication.
Six steps to the process of perception To best understand how we interpret our perceptions, we can consider six aspects
of the dynamic process of perception. They are the cognitive, emotional, physical, spiri- tual, contextual, and communal lenses through which every experience passes. While these six lenses are different in many ways, they are inseparably linked and intercon- nected. Fully exploring these lenses would take a lifetime, but we can briefly look at them here. First, lets consider the cognitive lens. This lens is more than just our intellect. It is the manner in which our unique brains are constructed and perform. Are we indi-
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n a recent Newsweek article by Ashley Merryman and Po Bronson titled “The Creativity Crisis,” the authors reveal research that illuminates the decline of creative capacity in Americans. Such dwindling creativity scores, a detriment to cultural
viduals with mechanical aptitude, artistic ability, and musical talent, or are we great with languages? Are there areas in which we are more or less capable than others? In either case, each of us is a combination of abilities, talents, and shortcomings. So when the cognitive lens is the primary source of understanding, we are already experiencing a situation with built-in dif- ferences, not to mention the differences that evolve over time through variations in education, nutrition and experience. Next, consider the emotional lens.
Emotions are difficult to explain, and we certainly cannot do them justice in this short article. Sometimes they are just a matter of mood or fleeting feeling, other times they are interconnected with the chemicals in our body, or our experiences and expectations. No matter how deep or broad our understanding of our personal emotional makeup, we cannot deny the role that our emotional state plays in the way we see the world or interpret experi- ence. A perception occurs in a moment in time, and our emotional state at that moment forever colors that experience. The Spiritual lens represents much
more than religion. It is an entire be- lief system. What we believe before an experience occurs will greatly affect the way we will perceive the experience. There is a truism, “seeing is believing.” But it would be more accurate to say that believing is seeing, because what we
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