The Importance of Perspective

By Lev Novak

When you’re in college, you see life through a microscope.

After all, so much is coming up on you; the next class, the next weekend, the next test- that long term plans seem way far away. You know what you’re doing for Thanksgiving, and maybe even Winter Break, but Spring Break? That’s pretty far away. And what about next year’s housing? Or graduation? Or being thirty-one. Do you have a plan for thirty-one? Of course not, and you shouldn’t. But it’s useful to remember. Why? Because…

1. Perspective Calms You Down

I have a bad habit of freaking out about nothing. Lately it’s manifested itself as hypochondria- which, predictably, I self-diagnosed after googling for medical stuff online- but it’s happened before and it’ll happen again. A parking ticket will be the biggest hassle in the world. My computer will die and how will I replace it? There will be a really dirty sink and I do not want to deal with it.

So, what do you do?

Nothing but think. Will this matter in a year?

I always say “yes” before I even think, but that’s because things always feel like they’ll matter forever. But the better way to do this is think back to what bothered you fourteen months ago. Maybe sixteen months ago. What was bugging you last summer? Can you even remember? Or did it sort itself out?

Often times, our reactions to setbacks are much worse than the actual problem themselves. I know that’s true for me. At seven, I planned to run away from home- packed a bag, tried to psych myself up- because I was afraid of the dentist. My Mom told me a week in advance and I was miserable and terrified. And when I finally went, guess what happened? Well, the dentist was terrible, but I only remember it vaguely. The fear in advance is what I remember strongest.

2. Perspective Plans For The Future

When you go out late at night, you’re borrowing time form your future self. When you wake up with a hangover, that’s because your past-tense self said “sorry, future-me; it’s all in the game.”

Past-you; what a jerk. But what if past-you actually helped?

Man, if past-you stayed in, got work done, and went to sleep at a decent time, then present you would be doing so well.

The problem, of course, is that you don’t have a time-machine. If you want a future where future-you reaps the advantages of a past-you that got work done, you’re going to have to do that work. With perspective, you can budget your time to help yourself. It’s less fun than staying out all night, but it works better, too.

3. Perspective Lets You Chill

I have a theory, which is that everyone in the world more or less feels the same.

That’s because people are bound by their perception. If you think about it; I mean, really think– your ancestors would freak out over how good you have it. My great grand-parents fled across Russia to avoid conscription into the Russian army. I, meanwhile, freaked out because I had a mosquito in my apartment, and what I’m supposed to sleep now?

It’s easy to worry. It’s hard to calm down. But you can and you should, for your own sake. Just because you feel stressed or panicked doesn’t mean you have to be, and it definitely doesn’t mean you should be.

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