There is a song by one of my favorite bands called “Longview.” Since hearing this song I really didn't understand what longview meant. I figured it was subjective and had many different meanings to many different people. Yet I love this title, and until now, I really didn't know why.
I now know that it is my own perception of the term, which really makes it mean something to me. Let me tell you why.
Many of us view life in segments. We view it from moment to moment and rely on memories and experiences to guide the way. Yet it wasn't always like that.
One day when I was 13, I realized that my mom and dad were older than me. It wasn't that I didn't know this, it just suddenly occurred to me how much distance there was between our ages and how long I had to reach that age. Then I thought the same about my grandparents.
Once this occurred to me, I then realized all that they must have experienced in their respective time frames. I then realized I'm going to have many similar experiences; possibly more than they did. Then it hit me. I was slowly starting to map out a path for my life using my elder's lives as a template.
Suddenly a world of possibilities opened up to me. I began wondering, what will I be doing in 20 years? Fifty years? How long till I die? When will I marry? How many kids will I have?
It didn't cross my mind then, but now I realize I was taking “The Longview.” I was trying to see what may lay ahead of me in the years to come. I wanted to see who I could become, and quite possibly, how I would get there.
As children we have the luxury of taking “The Longview.” Less stress, fewer responsibilities, and far more time on our hands made it easier to do so. As adults we find ourselves having to condense our view due to these hurdles, as well as an added fear. Fear of time slowly elapsing before us.
Yet what is fear, if not a tool to motivate us to press onward?
The best way to move onward is to swallow that fear, take “The Longview” from time to time, and continue to plot out where we really want to be from a much broader and far more educated view. No matter how much time has passed.
Doing so could mean the difference between taking the right path, and simply stumbling onto the wrong one.