How does recognizing your lenses assist in maintaining objectivity?

Recognizing your lens refers to the perspective from which a person views events. It is important to know the perspective from which a person views events. A person’s lens often contains some predetermined viewpoints or judgments. For example, a person who lives in a rural environment will see events that occur in the world differently than a person who lives in the city. A person’s experiences also impact how a person sees things. A person who has faced discrimination or harassment will see the world differently than a person who has not experienced these things. A person’s lens usually has some bias associated with it.
A person who has been bitten by a dog will very likely view dogs differently than a person who has never had this experience. The person who has been bitten might see a dog as a threat and might be fearful of any dog he or she encounters. Another person might see a dog as a friendly, playful animal because they have not had a negative experience with dogs.
By understanding that an individual’s perspective impacts how a person sees events that occur in the world, a person might be able to understand why people from different backgrounds can see the same event very differently. Recognizing that a person’s lens contains some bias should encourage a person to try to filter out that bias in order to view an event more objectively.