By James Chase

The Law of Relativity teaches that “there is nothing essentially good or bad until we relate it to something else.”
That might sound strange at first—how can something be neither good nor bad? The answer lies in perspective.

In my communication classes, one of the foundational topics I teach is exactly that: perspective. The technical definition of perception is “the process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting information considered valuable enough to give importance and meaning to information one receives.” In other words, two people can experience the exact same situation and interpret it completely differently.

To help illustrate this, I love using the classic "Old Lady/Young Lady" optical illusion. Some people immediately see an old woman, while others only see a young lady. It all depends on your point of view. And once you’re shown how to spot the other image, you can’t unsee it. That’s the power of perspective.

When I was younger, I was teased for volunteering to give speeches. Public speaking was something I wanted to do because I dreamed of being a teacher. But after being mocked, I started to see public speaking as something to dread. That shift in perspective completely shaped my reality—not because speaking was inherently good or bad, but because of the meaning I attached to it.

Looking back, I believe that if I hadn’t been teased, I might have seen public speaking as fun—something to look forward to rather than fear. Every semester, I meet students who walk into my class with either fear or excitement about public speaking. Through our discussions on perception and relativity, I help them shift how they see it—and it changes everything.

The beauty of this law is that it gives us the power to choose. I can grow stronger by choosing how I look at every new situation. The Law of Relativity reminds me that progress and joy often begin with a different lens.

So the next time something feels hard or uncomfortable, ask yourself: What could this mean, if I saw it a different way?

Because sometimes, the shift that changes everything is just a new perspective away.

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