The Secret Within: Chapter 16, Perspective

The Secret Within is a book I’m writing about the art of finding happiness and peace amidst personal difficulties. 

This is the sixteenth installment. Previous installments can be found here.

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16. Perspective

After buckling the seat belt, I slowly backed the car out of the driveway and waved goodbye to Mom. She looked worried. 

At the end of our street, I turned right onto Geyer Road. After crossing the Frisco railroad tracks, I turned left onto Big Bend and then, after a mile, left again onto Marshal Road and stomped the gas pedal to the floor. The automatic transmission in the ’68 Olds Cutless violently downshifted, and the car lunged forward. Power, independence, speed, and testosterone coursed through my veins. It was my first solo trip behind the wheel. 

Since that day, I’ve driven a million miles and owned some pretty cool sports cars, but none lived up to my experience that late afternoon in May ’71. 

Perspective is everything!

My last day of college was on a Wednesday. Two days later, MJ and I were married, and two days after that, we left on a 5,000-mile honeymoon road trip. We traveled west for three weeks through high plains, mountains, and national parks, ending up at Multnomah Falls, just outside Portland, Oregon. Multnomah Falls is the 4^th highest waterfall in the country. We hiked half-way to the top along a steep trail. It was spectacular!

We now own a house in Portland, and I frequently drive past Multnomah Falls. It’s beautiful, but it doesn’t radiate like seeing it for the first time with my new bride!

We underestimate the power of perspective. Driving a car is driving a car, whether it’s the first time or the thousandth time. A waterfall is a waterfall. Perspective colors our experience. Perspective is a secret within! 

Physicists claim that time is a matter of perspective, meaning there is no universal time, only an eternal now. The tenure of our lives creates our perspective of time. Singer-songwriter Shawn Mullens explains the challenge that creates:

“Is it all in my head,

Is it all in my head?

Could everything be alright?

Without me knowing?”

Little by little, we create the perspective we acquire. That means to understand the world, we must first know ourselves. If I want to travel to St. Louis, I must head east on Interstate 70 if I’m in Denver, Colorado, but west on Interstate 70 if I’m in Columbus, Ohio. To know where we’re going, we must first know where we are.

I used to think reality was a given. I was wrong! My reality is created by my perspective, which can be amended, but the price is steep.  Herman Hesse explains in his novel Steppenwolf: 

“Instead of narrowing your world and simplifying your soul, you will have to absorb more and more of the world and at last take all of it up in your painfully expanded soul, if you are ever to find peace.”

Emotional pain is a perspective derived from how things are as opposed to how we wish they were. Such pain collects in the psyche like rainwater in a bucket. Our sorrow can be replaced with beauty. It’s all a matter of perspective, a choice if you will.

I remember an autumn day walking through our neighborhood. The leaves were at their peak, and I stopped to admire an expansive red oak. There were so many hues of red and brown that it was overwhelming. The next day, the colors had dissipated. 

Beauty resides in the eternal now. 

Intentionally changing our perspective is a mindfulness exercise. Benefits come from the practice of bringing awareness to our awareness. Over time, such practices change who we are.  Presence holds the key to unlocking the power of perspective. 

With the right presence, might I relive Multnomah Falls or the teenage thrill of a trip behind the wheel? I don’t know the answer, but I suspect it’s yes! 

Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

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Installments of The Secret Within can be found here.  

Former blog posts can be found here by subject category and here chronologically. 

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My first book, Towards A Life Well-Lived, can be purchased by clicking this link. Proceeds from sales are donated to Peace In Schools, a Portland, Oregon-based organization supporting mindfulness training in high schools.