Vantage point Matters

Posted by Isaac on February 18, 2015 · 5 Comments 

” Thank you Luke, I sure do appreciate that you would bail me out of prison, I will have to live with this injury for the rest of my life” Jonathan was limping as he was walking out of jail where he had spent the night, he would be facing court in a month for his drunk driving. Luke, who is the younger of the two is a lawyer, well to do, respected by his peers and very well off, Jonathan is a school drop out, he was very bright but lost his way somehow. The two brothers had always been close, Luke will do anything for his brother and is always there to rescue him no matter what the situation however this time Jonathan has an injury which he regrets as he will never be the same again, his arm had to be removed.

To to make this story a little more clear, their father was what we would call a “Functional Alcoholic”. Jonathan had become his father, he would drink himself to the point of forgetting his house. A number of times he had been arrested after he was found in random people’s houses, sleeping in their beds. Jonathan was kicked out of various schools before he finally dropped out due to his alcohol abuse, he really lost his way. Luke had always stood by his father and brother, his heart was torn as he watched his brother become his father in terms of habit and actions. Luke could not stomach a drop of alcohol, he hated it with a passion.

Luke always told his friends he is so committed to his work and studies because he watched his father, he did not want to become the person his father was in terms of Alcohol abuse and forgetting his kids birthdays, school events and big family activities. Thank God he was not physically abusive however the emotional scares he left with his kids had a huge impact on the children. Luke was intent on being the best he could be, each time he thought of his father it pushed him to do more and work harder, he was really driving himself hard to be the exact opposite of his father. From his vantage point, alcohol was bad, it was a bad influence and there was no way he was going to let this drug as he called it, ruin his life as it had his childhood.

Jonathan had given up on life, watching his father had convinced him that there was nothing to life that was worth pursuing, if his father had failed, what more could he do different from his dad? From Jonathan’s vantage point, it was better to become what his father was as it had become familiar and it felt like just the thing to be. When his father was drunk the kids got away with anything they wanted, the kids would not bug him, he was very relaxed and could sleep with no hassle. Jonathan loved that his father was at peace when drunk, that had become a comfort point for Jonathan, he was convinced his father escaped all the bad and hurt feelings when drunk so it was the best way to numb the pain.

Each kid had their own vantage point, one became successful and useful and the other had not amounted to much. The way you look at a situation can either propel you to greatness or drag down to the lowest pits of life. How many times do you answer a question looking at something and it’s a million miles away from your wife, brother, cousin or friend looking at the very same thing or situation? Is it a vantage issue or a way of thinking? Maybe it’s one or the other or both but the truth is your vantage point looking at a situation matters.

It’s good to look around, have friends who are honest that can evaluate your vantage point, people who are not biased. Your vantage point can give you a view which causes you to move up and higher in life or it can keep you down, it matters.

Filed under Anatomy of Success · Tagged with achieve, agenda, Bad, challenges, change, Character, Dreams, Education, focus, successful, Vantage