This year has been one of celebrating milestones.

Earlier in 2012 Louisiana commemorated 200 years of statehood. Now another bicentennial has rolled around.

It was 200 years ago that the fledgling United States of America faced the might of the British Empire for the second time in three decades and won, cementing the country’s path to greatness. Or so it is told in American history books.

For Americans, the war produced some of the most iconic tales of American greatness. It was during a siege on Baltimore that Francis Scott Key penned the poem “Defence of Fort McHenry,” a portion of which would later become “The Star-Spangled Banner.” That song, of course, became the U.S. national anthem in 1931.

Another image that resonated strongly with Americans — and particularly strongly with Americans in this this part of the country — is that of the Battle of New Orleans in which General Andrew Jackson successfully and decisively defended the city from advancing British troops. Although the battle came after the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, it helped bolster a kind of mythos around the general that eventually led him to the White House. A song, “The Battle of New Orleans,” even made it to the top of the Billboard charts in 1959.

While such imagery is likely to stir the blood of any patriotic American, the other participants view the war differently. The Canadians also see the war as a victory — but for entirely different reasons than their American counterparts. For the British, the War of 1812 barely registers. It is considered little more than one of many skirmishes the British military faced as the nation watched many of its imperial assets slip away. The Native Americans have yet another view of the war. For them, it is a major milestone on the people’s eventual march on the Trail of tears.

The War of 1812 is not unique in this. Many wars are viewed differently by the different sides involved. In Vietnam, for example, the Vietnam War is known as the War of American Aggression.

In the past several years, the citizens of this nation have tended toward tunnel vision, seeing only their own side of things with little regard for other views. Maybe it is time to start seeing the world with more open mindedness, with fewer absolutes. Different opinions are not necessarily right or wrong — just different.