Each person does see the world in a different way. There is not

The words of Siri Hustvedt—“Each person does see the world in a different way. There is not a single, unifying, objective truth. We're all limited by our perspective.”—are like a mirror held up to the human condition. They remind us that our vision of reality is not the whole, but a fragment; not the eternal sky, but a single window cut into it. Each human being, shaped by memory, culture, emotion, and experience, beholds the same world through different eyes. Thus, what seems absolute to one may appear false to another, not because truth has changed, but because our perspective is always bound by the limits of our sight.

The origin of such words rests in philosophy and lived reflection. Hustvedt, a writer and thinker deeply concerned with the meeting place of mind and body, reveals here a truth that echoes the wisdom of ancient seers. The Indian sages spoke of the blind men and the elephant: one touched the trunk and declared it a snake, another the leg and called it a tree, another the ear and thought it a fan. Each man was correct within the confines of his perspective, yet none grasped the whole. So it is with us all: the truth as we see it is partial, colored by who we are.

History illustrates this powerfully. Consider the voyages of Columbus. To him and his men, their landing upon distant shores was the “discovery” of a new world. But to the peoples who had lived there for centuries, it was not discovery but invasion. The same event gave rise to two radically different narratives, each born from perspective, each shaping destiny. Here we see Hustvedt’s point: there is no single, unifying truth accessible to mortals, but a tapestry of truths woven from countless lives.

This is not to say that reality itself bends to whim. The sun rises whether we behold it or not. Yet the meaning of that sunrise is never the same. To the farmer it is labor; to the poet, inspiration; to the lover, a reminder of fleeting hours. Thus, while the fact is one, the truth experienced is many. Our perspective is both our blessing and our cage: it allows us to feel deeply, but also blinds us from seeing what lies beyond.

The danger comes when one person or nation insists that their perspective is the only truth. Wars have been waged, empires have risen and fallen, not because reality itself demanded it, but because men refused to recognize the limits of their vision. The Crusades, fought with the belief that only one way of seeing the divine was valid, drenched lands in blood. Had humility reigned—had men acknowledged that their truth was but one of many paths—the world might have known greater peace.

Yet within this limitation lies hope. For if each of us holds but a fragment, then only together can we draw nearer to the whole. Dialogue, compassion, listening—these become sacred acts. By opening ourselves to another’s perspective, we expand our own. We may never hold the full truth, but we can grow closer to it, weaving the fragments of many into a richer vision than any single mind can hold.

The lesson, then, is this: walk in humility, knowing your sight is partial. Do not cling so tightly to your view that you cannot hear another. Seek out voices beyond your own circle, and honor them. When you disagree, remember that what seems false to you may be the fragment of truth another has lived. And in your daily life, practice the discipline of listening—not to reply, but to understand. For as Hustvedt teaches, there is no one, unifying truth within human reach, only the shared striving of countless limited perspectives. To embrace this is to walk in wisdom, and to draw closer to one another, and perhaps, closer to the eternal.