Broken Zoom Lens
Have you sat in a car driven by someone who has the tendency to tail gate the car in front? The car journey tend to be less than comfortable, with many jolts and sudden braking involved.
When I was a process engineer, we monitored the plant conditions on a daily basis. A process parameter that seem completely random could start to make sense as one zoom out to look at a longer time horizon. There is a certain ideal “zooming distance” – too close and everything seems random, too far out and the trend becomes insignificant.
Which brings me to the topic of mental distance – the separation between the external event or stimulus and the vantage point from which one assesses the stimulus.
A short mental distance could result in one having to be in a reactive mode. One could be so entrenched with the unfolding event that the capacity for reflection and sense-making is hampered. For sure, life seems exciting and engaging from this distance – full of zest and spontaneity. The downside to this approach is that life could seem like an endless series of adrenalin-filled short sprints.
Someone with a preference for maintaining long mental distances could seem calm and collected. He/she always have the big picture in mind. His/her feathers are never ruffled. Things will unfold with their own natural rhythm. Yet, maintaining an overly long mental distance could lead to one becoming what the poet David Whyte describe as “fearful, always at the gates of existence, but never bravely and completely attempting to enter, never wanting to risk ourselves, never walking fully through the door”.
In my opinion, the key practice here is to observe our own tendencies. Do certain conditions trigger a default mental distance in us? Is our camera zoom lens stuck in a certain zoom distance, or are we able to fully zoom in and out? Can we consciously choose the mental distance that is adaptive in the moment? Can we respond, instead of react?
In my experience, there is often zero mental distance when I’m in a defensive mode. A sense of self-righteousness kicks in. My body and energy field becomes contracted, ready for the fight or flight. It takes a strong presence of mind to catch that, to create some separation – bring some spaciousness into the situation. It’s a practice that is very much alive for me.
The more you play with this, the more you realise that we are able to observe our inner states and tendencies. The observer mode is an important practice that helps to create spaciousness, discernment and choice.
Approach this with kind curiosity. Have a play, and let me know how it turns out for you.
