Back when I was a kid, while walking I always stared at the ground. I was afraid that I would bump into something and trip over, break my neck, or hurt myself really badly.
One day my Judo coach noticed it and gave everyone in the club a lecture. He said, “Remember this: when walking, walk proudly, with your posture straight, your chin up, and your sight always fixed on the horizon. In that way you will show that you are not afraid of people, and people who want to do you harm will not take you as a likely target. And when you are on tatami,” he continued, “do not look at the opponent’s hands or legs, as you will miss the moves; also do not look into their eyes, as they can hypnotize you. Instead, try seeing everything by using your peripheral vision; in that way you’ll see through your opponent's mind, you will see his intentions, and you will react much faster.”
Although I have long forgotten my Judo skills, this is the lesson I still remember, an attitude of looking into the present moment, being aware of everything around you, and showing the courage to interact with it.
When I grew up, I realized that I was not the only one who does this: knowingly or not, most grownups live by the same rule. They look at the horizon but very frequently do not notice the people around them. As most of us live in cities nowadays, it seems that our horizon has become constrained, as now it extends just across the street, to the next building.
Do we collectively suffer from “tunnel vision”? We stayed nailed to what is in front of us for so long, we’ve created our reality around what we can see just in our nearby proximity. It’s similar to the stories about people dying of thirst at the sea — ironically, being surrounded by water entire time. Yes, I know it is salty, but it is still water; how complicated can it be to create a mini reverse osmosis device!?
We live in the most abundant period in history and still we are constantly afraid, afraid that there won’t be enough for all of us. Half of the planet’s population is overweight and the other half is underweight, and we still think there is not enough food for everyone, and all the while we are throwing away 40% of the food we make. In a world where so many people think that there is not enough, it does not come as surprise that there will be fights for resources from time to time...
Isn’t it, in a way, ironic that we live on a finite planet where we have to struggle for things, but at the same time we live inside of infinite space with an infinite amount of resources?
The only thing we have to ask ourselves is how to reach and use those resources.
Our current horizon is limited by buildings or by the blueness of the sky — let’s change that perspective. Don’t get me wrong: there is nothing bad about our blue sky and I am not saying that it is not beautiful. I am just saying that even the most beautiful bird cage, made of gold and diamonds, is still just a cage — a prison. Every egg goes through the same process, it goes through the embryo phase and infancy, and then it hatches in order to become something more; otherwise, if the bird stays inside of the egg for too long, it will die.
Every so often, when the sky is clear, raise your eyes up from the horizon and gaze into the starry night. There is our future. That is the horizon we should strive for, unlimited places with unlimited possibilities, where there is enough room for everyone, and enough resources for every possible dream you can imagine.
“Do not limit your dreams, look into infinity.”
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