Symbols on Sunday

The Spyglass
A small telescope for viewing distant terrestrial objects.

The spyglass changed how people interacted with the landscape. They could see far distances without having to travel them. They could see approaching enemies, fleeing livestock, and waiting destinations. The spyglass changed their perspective.

I have a hard time changing my perspective. Often, from where I sit, things look gloomy or foreboding. Life is too hard. School is too hard. Work is too hard. But if I took the time to see things how another person sees them or even how (gasp) Heavenly Father sees them, I might change my tune.

Once upon a time, I was in high school. I overheard one of my good friends saying not-so-nice things about me. I went home very upset. If she didn't like me, did anyone like me? I'm sure I cried a little. But then I got to wondering what my friend was feeling. She had recently broken up with her boyfriend, and the stress of school was looming over everyone. I imagined that she was going through a hard time. Suddenly, the things she had said didn't seem so bad. I wrote her an anonymous, cheerful note and had it delivered to her at school. I don't think she ever found out it was me, but she gave me a great big hug the next day. My perspective had changed.

One of my favorite instances of the spyglass as a symbol of new perspective is in the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Robin's companion throughout the movie is Azeem, a Moorish man whom Robin rescued from prison while on the Crusades with King Richard. At the time, the Moors were enemies of England (yet another holy war of history), so Azeem and Robin's friendship is highly unusual. However, they find that they can learn much from each other as they begin to trust one another. Here, Azeem hands Robin a spyglass so that he can see the Sheriff's men approaching. Robin has never used a spyglass before, so he believes that the men are a lot closer than they really are. The scene is very funny but also symbolic of Azeem sharing the perspective of "the enemy" with Robin. It is often hard to hate someone when you see life through their perspective.

That day, Robin Hood gained a new perspective. Will you also look through the spyglass? You might be surprised by what you see.