Unfamiliar Faces

Leia em 🇧🇷Português aqui

Have you ever noticed how two people can look at the same situation and see something completely different? Perspective shapes how we interpret the world: it’s as if each of us wears our own pair of invisible glasses, tinted by our experiences, values, emotions, and stories.

I was reminded of this recently during a family trip to Insadong, one of Seoul’s most vibrant and artistic neighborhoods. Among the calligraphers, traditional tea houses, and street performers, we came across an artist offering cartoon-style family portraits. It looked like such a fun and whimsical idea — a unique way to capture our time together — so we decided to give it a try.

When the portrait was finally revealed, each of us went silent for a moment. We were not euphoric; instead, we were all stunned, each in our own way. Our children looked surprisingly recognizable: their energy, their smiles, their playful expressions were all there. But we, the adults, were strangers.

Where were the wrinkles, the signs of time, the imperfections that we’ve come to recognize as part of ourselves? The artist - a young woman with a shy, gentle smile - had drawn us as she saw us: full of warmth and light, without the lines that tell our years of stories. It wasn’t the mirror we expected; it was a reflection filtered through her eyes.

At first, I thought, “That doesn’t look like me at all.” But as I looked again, I realized that it did - just not in the way I’m used to seeing myself. Through her perspective, I could glimpse something softer, maybe even more forgiving. She saw our family not as we appear in photographs, but as we feel: connected, joyful, alive.

That portrait has stayed with me as a quiet reminder of how differently we all see the world, and one another. So often, we expect others to understand our version of events, our emotional truth, our sense of what’s “real.” But just like that drawing, every perspective is shaped by the eyes that behold it.

When we remember that everyone sees through a different lens, we open the door to empathy and understanding. We might not always recognize ourselves in someone else’s picture of us; but sometimes, that unfamiliar image can show us something beautiful we’ve forgotten to notice.

So next time you find yourself in a moment of disagreement, surprise, or even quiet wonder, pause and ask:

“What might this look like through someone else’s eyes?”

You might discover that the world is more colorful, and more forgiving, than you thought.