Recently I have been learning the truth about perception. I think being able to see all sides of a situation is a gift that takes empathy to whole new level. Do you ever see the other side of a story? In all honesty, I could never see any side but my own until I got to college. This ability has changed the way I communicate as a whole and strengthened myself in ways that I thought were already strong. I invite you to try it for a while. Put yourself in other’s shoes, make a plot twist in your head, do whatever you need to do to put a different perspective on your life. In the meantime, try making the villain the hero, symbolically and literally, if you may. I’ve been told the potential other sides of two of my favorite stories. Give it a shot and take your mind for a spin.

"Peter Pan"

What if Peter Pan was the villain? Bear with me. Imagine this. One night Captain Hook (as a child) was sleeping softy and peacefully in his bed. His mom and dad were downstairs, sipping tea and telling each other what a blessing he is in their lives. Then suddenly, they hear glass breaking and their son screaming. As they rush upstairs they watch their precious little boy being dragged out of the window by a mysterious flying figure and off into the cloudy night sky he disappeared. Peter forces Hook to Neverland, where he can never grow up, never see his family again, never find his true love, never experience any year past seven. One night in Neverland, Hook finds a way to escape. His first mission is to return to his family and possibly create the life he missed out on, but it’s too late. He was in Neverland too long. His parents waited decades for Hook’s arrival, but they could wait no longer and then finally passed away. Hook resented Peter and wanted to stop him from this act of trafficking. This is when Hook gathers a team and attempts to kill Peter every chance he got, to avenge his youth but also to protect the next victim, as a refugee. What if Peter Pan was the villain the whole time? Captain hook would be the hero. Let that sink in.

"Wizard of Oz"

Glinda, the good witch, dropped Dorothy’s house on the wicked witch of the east, not the tornado. She then uses Dorothy to gain control of Oz. The first thing Glinda tells Dorothy is that she killed the witch. The community praises her so she’ll accept the murder. Glinda put the red slippers on Dorothy’s feet but NEVER told her she could use them to get home. Instead, she sends Dorothy to Oz in possession of objects that the witch will murder her for. Dorothy, being forced into a situation where her only salvation is Oz and her worst enemy is the queen, inadvertently exposes the Wizard of Oz as a fraud and murders the Wicked Witch of the West, leaving Glinda to rule Oz. She used Dorothy to gain control of Oz, all while never leaving her bubble. After Dorothy upheaved the biggest power in Oz, Glinda sends her home and makes her think it was all a dream.

Perception is everything. Often we have a stronger one after witnessing struggle, pain, or loss in an extreme form. Just something to think about as you prepare for your week.