Relativity must replace absolutism in the realm of morals as well as in the spheres of physics and biology. 
-Thomas Cochrane 

The theory of relativity, put simply means that reality is subject to the eye of the beholder. How is this relevant to anything in our lives? Well, let’s use the glass being half full or empty as an example. Is the glass of water half full or half empty? The answer depends on who you’re asking. There are a number of answers to the question because the answer is relative to the person the question is being asked to.

The glass can be half empty if it started out full or it can be half full if it were already empty and water was added. To go to an extreme, it can also always be full since there’s air in the glass as well. The answer is all relative to the situation at hand and what happened before to the cup.

Key Points

• There is no absolute truth. Truth is not universal, only in relation to a situation
• Relativity means a persons paradigm is true to them, but false to another
• Not everyone can see through the same eyes, but they’re all right
• “Right” and “Wrong” is subject to interpretation. The definition is relative to the person’s views
• Language isn’t an exact science because intent is interpreted. Intent is subject to interpretation which is relative to the person involved.

The Theory of Relativity

“Sit down for an hour next to a pretty girl, and it seems like a minute. Sit down for a minute on a hot stove, and it seems like an hour. That’s relativity.” 
― Albert Einstein

Interpretations

Knowing and understanding that our paradigm of the world is only relative to us, is extremely important. Once we know that, we see it’s okay for people to see differently than us because they are no more wrong than we are. Of course, when it comes to science, that’s simply not the case. For example, numbers are not subject to interpretation. Math equations are universal. “Right” and “wrong” however are subject to a paradigm and how it interprets them. Interpretation can go a long way.

If I tell someone they’re “stupid”, it really doesn’t explain anything to them. It’s an insult and they’ll probably get offended, but it doesn’t tell them anything. This is where guessing comes into the picture. What they will do is interpret my intent with what they associate the word with. In other words, they have an understanding of the word. The understanding can be as simple as “he/she is just trying to put me down!”. The point is that the word doesn’t mean anything. Some people might say “stupid” means “not smart”. But again, what does being smart mean? Being quick to react? It couldn’t mean that because again, that would just mean nothing more than being quick to react.


People have a hard time letting go of the concept of absolute. It’s scary to know that there is no definitive right and wrong. It’s reasonable to say there’s no definitive anything!

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