“Keep a sense of perspective” is a well-meaning but ultimately pointless bit of advice.

It is generally intended as a reminder to be less caught up in your own particular life or work dramas, or less emotional about your particular circumstances. It’s the kind of thing you say to someone who is fretting over a missed deadline, an imperfect piece of work or a minor conflict with a colleague.

Everyone has a perspective, or even multiple perspectives, depending on their mood or the situation they find themselves in. Their way of seeing things is determined by these factors, and many others, and that doesn’t make it wrong. But it might just make it narrow.

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