EFML: The forest and the trees

I was in a flight back home sometime last week, and it was evening time. That single moment when vibrant dusk is giving way to pitch black night, and the lights of the world look like sparkly fairy lights. A lake shimmering in iridescent blue, bejeweled by a necklace of golden lights. Tall trees that are pleasantly green-black, swaying in the evening breeze. Houses and skyscrapers that loom tall, silhouetted by the vivid colors of sunset. Now imagine this picture from 30,000 feet in the sky: It looks a million times more beautiful, and I was in awe of the view. (The number of times I have flown is still under a dozen, so I am probably more prone to wonder at such spectacles than your normal urban citizen.:))

But then, everything looked so teeny-tiny. The cars and trucks cruising on the road looked like playthings of a toddler. The houses and skyscrapers resembled quaint Lego-block structures. The lakes and rivers looked like a tiny line of blue in a painting. In fact, the whole view looked like a miniature world. From that distance, somehow my mundane problems from everyday life seemed inconsequential--I knew that life was bigger. Serenity enveloped me. While the artist in me delighted in the view and the emotions they evoked in me, the logician got to thinking about this.

This is a privileged perspective that distance(or space if you'd like) bestows upon you-- the clarity to step back from the chaotic wilderness that is your life, and see it from a 1000 feet view. See it so that only the important things stand out and all else is obscured. We are so bent on focusing in life-- we zoom in and zoom in to see that one tiny detail, and then forget to zoom out. To de-focus is an amazing thing. It empowers you to look at the bigger picture of your life-- what you want of it, where you are at, and what you should be doing.

If you think about it, time is also a very good hypermetropic lens. When you look back at your life a year ago and mull upon events that transpired, it all seems crystal clear. Why could I not see that then? I should have done this long ago.We moan in despair. The answer in simple--because we were too close. But the clarity that time blesses us with lacks utility, because it is no longer of use; it is just an idyllic remorseful what-if.

Therefore, it is all too importance to utilize distance to form a new perspective. Take a vacation, or go to a different place, or simply step back for a while. While most people are aware of the relaxation and rejuvenation that a break provides, the above aspect of it is lost on quite a few people. This is not trivial though: these are questions that are central to our existence, and as sentient beings with agency, answering them and then reorienting life accordingly is instrumental to our growth, happiness and progress. The incentives for this are not external, and that makes it even more important to find these answers--noone in the world cares two hoots about these things, and life will still go on even if we don't find these answers, therefore, you must. 

You have one life, and it is up to you to shape it. Carpe diem! :)

P.S: As I write this, I hear an inner monologue in my mind.
It goes this way:
What happened to smelling the roses? You expect me to go on a vacation, and then, instead of having a great time, you want me to get existential and ponder over life? How ridiculous! Beats the purpose of a vacation itself.

My reply:
This will happen organically. It is not something you search for and find. It is something that keeps hovering at the back of your mind, and one day, when you are at peace, you will stumble upon it. 
I am not asking you to engage in a bout of intense thinking. The very opposite. Stop thinking about everything, empty your mind. Enjoy the sights and the smells, immerse yourself in experiences. At a point in time when you least expect it, you will be rewarded with clarity.

This probably sounds whacky, but take my word for it! :)