Profound Thought #6

Intersubjectivity.

Intersubjectivity is the notion, idea, or point of view shared by two or more individuals.
Although each person is unique and has distinct experiences, it demonstrates that people may
nevertheless share or agree on a subject. This is because various individuals are distinct from one
another. What pertains to one person may not always apply to every one other. Since there are
more than thousands of distinct cultures globally, the definition of respect and the perspectives
on respect may vary from one individual to another. For example, I may see a big green shooting
star that appears to be falling to the north of me. Another observer reports seeing a big shooting
star that has fallen to the south of her, a third observer reports seeing it fall to the east, and a
fourth observer reports seeing it fall to the western side of her. Now, since we all described the
shooting star as being green, we can all agree that it was, in fact, green, without any more
discussion. At the same time, we may compare our positions at the moment the shooting star
dropped from the sky, as well as the direction it seemed to be traveling from our places, and we
can intersubjectively conclude that the shooting star should have landed precisely where it
should have.

In its absence, we are left with the notion of reverence (respect). Elders and parents are held in
high regard in all cultures, and this is universally acknowledged. Although they have distinct
approaches to problems, they do have some common ground to build solutions. This holds for a
variety of different things across the globe. Keeping an open mind and accepting that people will
always be different due to their own experiences and learned behavior is yet another way of
looking at intersubjectivity with respect. By agreeing to respect one another while also agreeing
to disagree on certain things, people can still get along and get along well.