Through a Different Lens

Every one of us looks at the world through a personal filter, often called the hermeneutic lens. It's shaped by everything we’ve lived, believed, resisted, embraced, and endured. Over time, these layers of meaning build up like the rings of a tree, giving structure to how we interpret the world around us.

This lens is why no two people ever experience the same moment in quite the same way. To one person, a situation might feel full of opportunity, while to another it feels threatening. The difference lies in the meaning their lens assigns to it, not in the moment itself.

The hermeneutic lens is not fixed, though. When we bring awareness to it, we can begin to see the stories and assumptions it has been built from. That awareness is the first step in softening it, choosing which parts to keep, and which parts to reshape. Over time, this opens space for more curiosity, less reactivity, and a greater ability to honor both our own experience and that of others.

The lens will always be there, coloring what we see. But when we learn to recognize it for what it is, it shifts from being a barrier to becoming a tool. It reminds us that perception is not the same as truth, and that the way we see the world is something we can continue to evolve.