People across the world, at all points in time, have had disagreements due to their different perspectives and upbringings. This has led to much conflict throughout human history. Some of it was just unpleasant and hostile, like the Cold War. Others, however, were much more violent and bloody like both of the world wars, or even the Civil War. Why have these events been allowed to happen?

All of these events happened because the parties involved didn’t consider things from the point of view of their fellow man to work on some sort of compromise. Take the Civil War, for example. The North saw how The South treated its slaves and was insisting on freeing them, but The South believed it was their God-given right to use slave labor. As a result of the conflict, The South seceded and then fought a war with The North that could’ve been avoided. Both sides could’ve found some kind of compromise, if they were willing, but because neither side was, 620,000 men died for it.

This can be applied at a more personal level, as well. Everyone gets into arguments or disagreements, but if one is willing to see things from the point of view of another, this can reduce conflict and argument. Really, it can. Just understanding why a person believes in something or thinks a certain way can really make a difference. Of course, it helps even more to just be tolerant of the beliefs of others, but understanding those beliefs is a start.

Imagine the world we would live in if the world wars or the Civil War had never occurred. There would be many more people around, for starters. Other things wouldn’t exist altogether, like many of the World War 2 propaganda posters and cartoons. Some countries wouldn’t even exist without World War 1 like Turkey, Austria and Czechoslovakia. It’s a wonder what a difference perspective can make.