Top view

Early morning,

Golden horizon and limitless soft bouncy clouds, gradually they moved away to enlighten us with a different view.

There was a little time left for landing in Port Blair, just peeped out of the window. A breathtaking view! Rich green forests with the border of golden sands that laced with the white dashing waves. The whole scene looked great on the ocean blue canvas with a calm and serene view. It was a joy to watch and enjoy the presence.

Next came the scene of farms, mostly blue roofed houses, lanes, gardens, roads, and vehicles. Everything looked neatly arranged on the ground.

This made me think about the Top view or the bigger picture, which is always mentioned in the corporate world or in individual development talks. Look at the bigger picture or see the situation from a distance, or stand outside the problem and think and so on.

Maybe it is true that we fret on small things which are not real problems if we see them from distance. In some cases we tend to fight with our heart and soul on the issues that may look immaterial if we view from far.

For example, if you consider any of the following situations as a major issue: a slight natural imperfection, curly/straight hair, a little more weight than the ideal image what you have, lack of an exorbitant gadget/vehicle.

There is a huge industry to make us feel that we are not good enough with the face/skin/hair/body structure we have, and urging people to splurge on advertised product or service to get that so-called perfect face/skin/ hair/body. Companies lure us with interesting loan options to buy that expensive unwanted stuff, by making us feel that what we have is insufficient.

These so-called issues do not look like a problem if you are viewing from a certain distance, as a Top View. Or, if you are thinking from your life view. Considering our mortality and the uncertainty on how long we continue to exist, should we focus on petty issues and get worried? Or focus on the things that really matter to us?

If you have a healthy body and fit enough, whether that should be a reason to be grateful or to look out for an imperfection and its solutions that are pushed to us by marketing agencies? Is it necessary to stress over the new mobile phones and cars getting released to market and stretch the monthly budget to accommodate the unwanted ones, and get stressed over the bills? Many times the existing good things are taken for granted and the not enough  parts are zoomed to highlight the insufficiency so that you could look out for the solutions and spend a lot of time, money and energy.

This holds true for any organization or at home too. Many so called issues may vanish if we are seeing them from the point of a bigger picture or the top view. Some daily chores and issues may get dissolved without any traces.

However, one more view from another angle…

There may be instances where the top view looks very good, but there could be major issues that need our attention.

For example, personal health or financial health. If we overlook the small problems, by considering not to zoom in, it may lead to major issues. So in these kinds of situations, we have to focus on the root of the issues and resolve them without wasting any time.

Based on the situation, we need to take a call on which view could help us on a specific matter, either to go with a zooming lens to observe or see it from the top/distance. Having awareness of both options would help us to look at the subject from different angles, and decide which is the better method in any given situation.

We may get it wrong sometimes, that’s fine. Life is all about learning, better to take a decision and check whether it is appropriate, rather than over-analyzing forever to ensure we take only the right decision.

—-Anitha KC