Diversity is a huge complication of the multidimensional perspective. Multidimensional perspectives are complex. Not everyone shares the same principles and value system. We assume that “common sense” practices will prevail. If we abide by the law, positive outcomes will arise. While this may be true, negative significances may also take precedence. The Community Toolbox website made a reference to wicked problems (how we can build partnerships that perform video). While the cause of a problem may be the same for everyone in the community, that does not mean people will deal with the cause in the same way. Some people may not want to solve the problem. The Boko Haram, for example, have just taken credit for kidnapping schoolboys in Africa. 344 boys were returned to state authorities. They were abducted last Friday. According to Castronuovo (2020), the Daily Nigerian reported that it received an audio message from Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, saying his group abducted the schoolboys because Western education violates the tenets of Islam. The schoolboys were forced to beg for the dismantling of the Nigerian army and vigilante groups, as well as schools (Castronuovo, 2020).
The attackers forced one of the boys to contact his father to force a ransom payment. The money was not paid. Boko Haram is a terrorist organization that committed the same crime against schoolgirls back in 2014. A multidimensional perspective is very difficult when people share very different values and belief systems. All points of view(s) must be respected and valued. In order to shift a point of view, drastic measures may need to be taken. There is no way to really reduce or eliminate challenges. All viewpoints need to be investigated. How many times have we had to learn the hard way? How many times have we been scared by people that truly believed in what they were doing, even if we believed they were wrong? Harsh lessons and realities shape who we are and how we think. Can Boko Haram be stopped? Violence only begets more violence. Once the dust settles, men, women, and children alike will be given the opportunity to choose a side based on these experiences. “Common sense” aside, there needs to be a middle ground. A place where everyone involved can stop and say “that’s enough, for the immediate future, things are the way they are going to be.” A person with a multidimensional perspective understands a situation from every angle. Through these experiences, common ground can be found.
