The Art of Perspective

With everything swirling around us in the present, we often hear the word “perspective”.  Throughout my life I have been given advice  – solicited or not – which includes the admonition to have “some perspective”, or to look at a situation from a “different perspective”.   What is this “perspective” of which they speak?  Do I even have perspective?  If so, how did I get it and what good comes from it?

I’ve spent many quiet moments pondering those questions surrounding perspective.  Perspective can be charmed when called upon.  It’s always with us, whether or not we choose to acknowledge it.  We don’t need to seek to obtain it, nor need we exert much effort to gain it.  We must simply be.  The very act of living – of being present for the experiences of our daily lives – conveys perspective.  The skill of perspective isn’t so much in its acquisition, but in its application.

Perspective has many synonyms:  wisdom, outlook, perception, viewpoint, etc.  But no matter which word we choose to use, in the end they’re all variations on the same theme.  And they’re all powered by the same fuel: experience.   Think about it.  Think of how our life experiences shape our perspectives.  Remember the angst and melodrama of our teen years?  Think about how what once seemed earth-shattering in our teens now feels less so much less so through the magic of perspective.  We didn’t necessarily try to minimize our experiences, but the backward-glance through time has allowed us to view those events in their proper perspective.

As adults, the trick is call on that perspective as events unfold.  I’ve been honored to have a number of people share with me their feelings and their fears surrounding current events.  Many have shared that they feel that our current situation is “the end of life as we know it” or “the beginning of the end”, or that they “fear for the future”.   I believe we all share these feelings and fears to some degree.  I always suggest that a healthy dose of perspective is the flashlight we can call on to navigate our way through the storm.  We can ramp up the lumens of perspective to light the way.

We have all lived through personal and world events that seemed insurmountable.  Every generation has.  I recall my sophomore year in high school we were assigned to watch The Day After, a made-for-tv-movie detailing the aftermath of the “impending” nuclear holocaust (the 1983 geopolitical issue du jour).  I was terrified and traumatized!  I spent many sleepless nights wondering “what if”.  I was 15 (I know you’re doing the math.  No need – I’m 52☺)  and I actually wondered about the future of my children…AT 15!  I clearly lacked perspective.  Then of course college presented some pretty weighty political and philosophical discussions that left me feeling uneasy and afraid.  No matter upon which side of the debate my classmates or I stood, we were all encouraged to look at events critically and with a healthy dose of skepticism – question everything, take nothing as fact.  The process of questioning everything led me down some pretty convoluted rabbit holes, to be sure.  Looking back, I realize that I spent so much time worrying and wringing my hands, I failed to realize what lay before me.  I blinked.  And I missed it.  Those were the good ol’ days.

Perspective shows us that they’re ALL good ol’ days!

In fact we’re in the good ol’ days RIGHT NOW.

Remember waaaay back to last March during the “year which shall not be named”?   I clearly remember feeling the fear and uncertainty that came with having to shut down a new business.  I remember wondering if things will ever be the same.  For the first few days of the shut-down, I was nearly paralyzed by that fear of the unknown.  How long will this be?!  Will we make it?!  What’s going to happen?!  Then it hit me – that magic we call perspective.  I decided to view that time not as a bad thing or something to be feared.  I summoned my perspective and I leaned in.  I recalled previous fears and their outcomes.  I came to the realization that there is so much beauty occurring in front of me and I was missing it because I was choosing to focus on my fear.  That perspective helped me let go of the scary hypotheticals and be present for those moments with my family and the magic that happened within them.  And now I look back at that time with gratitude because I was there for it!   THOSE WE THE GOOD OL’ DAYS!!!

Now that you know my age, it probably won’t surprise you that I grew up listening to and LOVING Carly Simon.  I still do, although now I get my fix on Spotify instead of vinyl, 8-tracks, cassettes, or even cds.  One of my favorite songs of hers is Anticipation.  It’s a catchy and beautiful song about the perspective that comes through savoring the present.  That song has always spoken to me.  I even used a line from it as one of my senior quotes in our yearbook.  It seemed cool at the time, even a little quirky for its paradox.  And in 1986, it felt totally retro!  Little did I know how much that quote would come to mean to me or how its significance would grow.   Those of you who are fellow fans of CS are probably already singing it in your head.  If so, sing it out loud for all to hear!  C’mon!!  You know the line!  “Stay right here, ‘cause these are the good ol’ days.”

Do.

Because they are. 

There are countless examples of how perspective has softened the edges of traumatic events.  No matter what’s going on around you or how dark things seem, you can always summon the gift of perspective to help you reframe a situation.  Everything passes.  It’s all temporary.  And years from now when we look back, we’ll say to ourselves and our loved ones, ”Yep!  That sure was a crazy time!  But those were the good ol’ days.”  And you’ll be right.
Why wait?  Do your self a favor.  Get out your perspective, dust it off, and put it to use NOW.  Don’t let it go to waste.  You’ve earned it.  It’s right there waiting for you.  It’s an unlimited resource.  And the good ol’ days are happening all around you, even as you read this.  This moment.  The beauty and the magic are right in front of you.  It’s simply a matter of perspective.