Over the past several weeks, in TOK classes, we have been looking at what factors affect people’s perspectives and perceptions. There are many factors I am involved with, which is why my perspectives and my knowledge are different to others.
I am a 16-year-old boy and I believe that my age affects the way I see things and the things that I know. Over the past 16 years, I have gained plenty of knowledge and experience. Because of this, the way I perceive the world will be significantly different to someone who is 7 years old or 72 years old.
My mother tongue is English but I am able to communicate with people in Cantonese and Mandarin too. Because I am more fluent in English, I use English to interpret things or solve problems. Due to this, some things that non-English speakers may consider not offensive, I might consider very offensive. For instance, since I spent most of my life studying in British schools in Hong Kong, if someone holds up two fingers with the palm inward, I will most likely consider that an insult towards me.
I grew up in Hong Kong, which is a very urban place. This means that I am used to very convenient transportation, tall skyscrapers and a dense environment. Because I lived most of my life in an urban region, my knowledge on what a rural area would look like is not a whole lot. I would imagine that going to and from places would not be as convenient as urban life. I also think that it is more spacious to live in an urban area. However I can only hypothesise the rest, since I’ve never spent a long period of time living in an urban area.
As mentioned above, perspectives can depend on many factors associated with people, such as age, gender and the place the person grew up in.