Discussion: The Vantage Point
Belinda M. Lane
April 1, 2022
I remember going to the theater to see the movie Vantage Point, which came out in 2008. Following the plot of the movie, several witnesses with different points of view try to unravel an assassination attempt on the US President. This took place in Spain during a summit the US President attended, with the focus being The War on Terror. A group of terrorists staged different situations as subterfuge, to confuse all as to which would be the real act of terrorism.
One such act was where the group set a fan on low to blow on curtains of a room under observation. For those looking at that window, it looked as if someone was hiding behind the curtains. The two of the assigned Special Agents saw the movement and started racing up the stairs towards the room; believing it was an assassin positioning himself to shoot the president. There was another would-be terrorist, not by choice, but a “recruited” specialist in an area the group needed to complete their mission. To ensure his compliance, they had abducted his brother and threatened to kill him if he didn’t help them.
And of course, in fiction and non-fiction, most international terrorist cells have a double agent within their ranks. This double agent was a leader of the President’s top Special Forces. Then there was a tourist who was taking pictures of all the activity and had everything on camera. Finally, there is the returning Special Agent who had failed during a major assignment who would become the hero. Between this agent and the man with the camera, you got to see many points of view from various vantage points.
Now let’s do some self-evaluation. How many times have you done something in life that seems to be or appeared as a failure? From where you stand, you try to determine what went wrong. Your self-talk, which we will compare to the tourist with the camera, starts gathering information from the conscious and subconscious mind. They show the brain snapshots for the mind to determine how to handle what has happened.
Let’s look at some of the vantage points of self. Our mind develops a vantage point from our conscious and subconscious mind. Then our heart adds its point of view to the situation. As we try to determine from each platform how to react, our blood pressure rises. Self-talk is pulling from all areas of self and feeding us from its many vantage points.
Many have lost battles of what could have been a win if they had looked at the situation differently. As a counterpoint, many have won their battles because they took a different course of what could have happened. What are you facing right now that a slight turn of self would make you see things differently? Would taking a deep breath and taking one more look change the situation?
I’m a morning person and my family especially knows, if you ask my advice at night, you’re going to get something different from me in the morning. Collectively, we know who to ask for advice in the day and who to ask at night, causing us to be well-rounded as a family.
Normally, when we look back at something nine times out of ten, we see what we could have or should have done differently. And looking at it as a past event, we can actually see what we should have done.
Life will always give you options. But sadly, we are a microwave society. We want everything right now. When is the last time you thought a situation through that was going to be life changing? Is life making you believe it’s now or never?
There are things which appear to be a real person moving the curtain. But the fan in the room caused a deception by moving the curtains and causing you to run in that direction. There are some double agents that will appear throughout our lives. Always remember some people are in your life for a reason and some for a season. How we discern this will make you appreciative or bitter. Life is always moving, and we are supposed to be moving with life. If you are at a standstill, pick yourself up. Count it as a learning experience, turn slightly and look, then move on!
Thank you for joining me for Friday at Sundown. Remember… Just Breathe!
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Resources Corner:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org 800-273-8255
Domestic Violence
National Domestic Violence Hotline can help victims, survivors of domestic violence. Call 1-800-799-7233. Chat w/an advocate on our website. National Domestic Violence Hotline: www.thehotline.org/
Aid for Military Veterans
In an attempt to cope with the pain of overwhelming emotions, sometimes veterans turn to unhealthy relationships, at-risk behaviors, or substance abuse.
Welcome Home is Celebrate Recovery's (CR) tool to help veterans stuck in hurts, hang-ups, and habits. (These statements are from CR’s Homepage). You are not alone! https://www.welcomehome.celebraterecovery.com