It is certainly easy to lose perspective.
All day we remain at the forefront of our thoughts. We make decisions and map out strategies with ourselves and our interests as primary considerations. Self-help, self-service, self-checkout, and selfies… we live in a world centered on self. And advertisements constantly reassure us that everything really should be according to our exact specificity and whim. Resultantly, the self is elevated to a stratosphere far beyond that which it was ever designed to operate. Like Icarus, we often realize too late the error in our thinking.
For with all focus on self, anything that threatens the self or self-image becomes a disproportionate concern. Minor to mid-range difficulties, analyzed from our limited self-perspective, balloon and soon become are overwhelming. Only when we return ourselves to Earth and relinquish our god-hood can we restore the correct paradigm and allow our difficulties to shrink back to their original (i.e. manageable) size.
“I look up at the macro-skies, dark and enormous,
Your handmade sky-jewelry.
Moon and stars mounted in their settings.
Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
Why do you bother with us?
Why take a second look our way? ”
There is something to the power of awe. We can lose sight of that which is above when we only focus on that which we regularly interact with; when things are only executed in proximity to our expectations. But the majesty, vastness, and beauty which is beyond us provides a wholly new perspective. It removes us from our self-appointed place of supreme power and allows us to return to our proper place.
But it also inspires us to become better versions of ourselves. For we can only rise above the meaningless when we have glimpsed the truly meaningful. Like the author, reset in perspective by the glory and scale of the night sky, we too can discern the trivial from the truly significant when we step back from ourselves.
When was the last time you stood in awe? Maybe it’s time for a reset. Maybe it’s time we experienced awe anew and walked away with true sharpness of mind.