Cave Vision: (n.) shortsightedness; focusing on the problems of the moment, rather than on how those problems fit into the bigger picture; demanding instant gratification and immediate removal of any hardship; putting short-term pleasure ahead of long-term growth and happiness.
Cave vision has one guaranteed effect: sending you deeper into the cave. If you're like me, you think that if you really focus on something and really put all your energy into fixing it, it will quickly go away. This is true for some of life's simpler problems, but for the big important issues, problems and roadblocks sometimes exist to teach us a lesson. They are, in effect, opportunities for growth and lessons in patience and creativity. If we are focused totally on fixing them, then we will miss the lesson they are supposed to teach us. And the problem will most likely surface again.
Long Vision: (n.) farsightedness; the ability to put things into perspective; a willingness to see the present as part of a much longer past and future; recognition that in order to achieve future goals, some short-term suffering might be necessary.
A friend introduced this idea to me last week. "Be patient, Timothy," he said, "and have some long vision. What is one day, one week, or even one year compared to the rest of your life? If we stay focused on the problems of today, we'll go insane."
When I have long vision - which is, unfortunately, much less frequently than I would like to admit - I realize that any current struggle is not only temporary, but may be necessary to achieve what I really want down the road. I can handle short-term setbacks because I keep my mind focused on the long-term goal.
So how do we make the switch from cave vision to long vision? It's simple, but far from easy. First, focus on what you really want and what is really important in the long run. Then force yourself to decide whether immediate gratification is more important than these long-term goals. If you want a particular career, you might have to put in some time in a much more boring or much less flashy job for a few years. If you are looking for a long-term relationship, you might have to forestall physical gratification for a little while longer to build a lasting bond. Second, I find that literal long vision helps me stay focused on the long-term. When I'm in cave-vision mode, the world around me becomes blurred and I spend much of the day stuck in my own thoughts. When I force my eyes to focus on the people and things in my environment, I become more centered in reality. The farther into the distance I look, the more I am able to see the bigger picture.
I frequently have to remind myself that life is not a snapshot. The problems that I have today will most likely not be there tomorrow, next week, or next year. It is all part of a bigger picture. It just takes some long vision to understand this.![]()
Cave vision has one guaranteed effect: sending you deeper into the cave. If you're like me, you think that if you really focus on something and really put all your energy into fixing it, it will quickly go away. This is true for some of life's simpler problems, but for the big important issues, problems and roadblocks sometimes exist to teach us a lesson. They are, in effect, opportunities for growth and lessons in patience and creativity. If we are focused totally on fixing them, then we will miss the lesson they are supposed to teach us. And the problem will most likely surface again.
Long Vision: (n.) farsightedness; the ability to put things into perspective; a willingness to see the present as part of a much longer past and future; recognition that in order to achieve future goals, some short-term suffering might be necessary.
A friend introduced this idea to me last week. "Be patient, Timothy," he said, "and have some long vision. What is one day, one week, or even one year compared to the rest of your life? If we stay focused on the problems of today, we'll go insane."
When I have long vision - which is, unfortunately, much less frequently than I would like to admit - I realize that any current struggle is not only temporary, but may be necessary to achieve what I really want down the road. I can handle short-term setbacks because I keep my mind focused on the long-term goal.
So how do we make the switch from cave vision to long vision? It's simple, but far from easy. First, focus on what you really want and what is really important in the long run. Then force yourself to decide whether immediate gratification is more important than these long-term goals. If you want a particular career, you might have to put in some time in a much more boring or much less flashy job for a few years. If you are looking for a long-term relationship, you might have to forestall physical gratification for a little while longer to build a lasting bond. Second, I find that literal long vision helps me stay focused on the long-term. When I'm in cave-vision mode, the world around me becomes blurred and I spend much of the day stuck in my own thoughts. When I force my eyes to focus on the people and things in my environment, I become more centered in reality. The farther into the distance I look, the more I am able to see the bigger picture.
I frequently have to remind myself that life is not a snapshot. The problems that I have today will most likely not be there tomorrow, next week, or next year. It is all part of a bigger picture. It just takes some long vision to understand this.
