Just finished No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. Splendid rapid fire, texan dialogue throughout, full of absolute gems, which makes it one of those books you don't want to rush because you're afraid of missing bits. A quote towards the end really resonated.
"I tried to put things in perspective but sometimes you're just too close to it. It's a life's work to see yourself for what you really are and even then you might be wrong. And that is somethin i don't want to be wrong about."
Perspective made me think about distance, about how you get a different, and usually much clearer picture of something by taking a step back from it. Like the perspective you get on work while on holiday. This definition talks about perspective being the context for a belief or experience. Which makes sense. Taking a step back is all about seeing something from a different viewpoint, seeing something in a different context, which then alters your belief or interpretation of the experience. Like when workaholics have a near death experience and realise that family and friends are the really important stuff.
Talking to a friend about a problem, or decision, is great because they have a different perspective becuase they are not as close to it. It frames the problem in a different way.
Seeing your life, or what you have, from the perspective of those who do not have what you have can put things in perspective.
Or learning a bit about how other people view the world - seeing how and why others look at things in a completely different way.
I remember moving to London a few years ago and jumping at the chance to doing loads of different stuff. Happily trekking across the city to see people and places. It was all new and exciting and worth doing and easy. After a while though, yuo get to a stage where you know what you like and it's comfortable and near and easy. Going to new things and new places is harder than going to to the place that is known. Getting some distance and perspective and looking at something in a different light gets harder - be that getting some physical distance away from work or London, or putting yourself in someone else's shoes.
However, going across town to new venues, catching up with old mates, gogin on holiday,chatting to slightly weird strangers - it's all a fresh perspective and it's ultimatgely pretty rewardign and it all helps us make better decisions.
Reading this back the last bit sounds a bit like a school assembly - the moral of this story is...
...I think i need a holiday. Distance, perspective, context, all that stuff i just said. I basically need to go on holiday.
Comments