Pawn or Player
For those of you who are familiar with the game of chess, imagine what it would be like if you were a chess piece instead of the player moving the pieces. These two perspectives are quite different. As a chess piece, you are in the front line and the heat of the action. Your field of view is limited, only being able to view objects closest to you while everything else is obscured in the distance. In this situation, one can only deal with what is in front of them and whatever else lies on the horizon is beyond you.
A player's perspective is more of an overview with no direct physical effects as a consequence of their actions. A player can make choices moving the pieces as they please and the only repercussion is losing a piece or even the game but there is no real harm done as they can always play again. The same can not be said for a chess piece. It is similar to a soldier on the battlefield, he is the one that takes the blow and as a result, he stands to lose more, either a limb or his life.
Everyday interactions are similar in a way. Each choice we make and every action we take often has unforeseeable consequences. We navigate the world relying mainly on our five senses which have obvious limitations. We can not see through walls nor can we smell danger from a mile away. The domino effect resulting from our actions is not something we can see or predict with much accuracy, but this does not shield us from the aftermath thereof. However, you choose to look at it there is always something to gain or lose and depending on your circumstances the effects will always be different.
The beautiful thing about being human is that we can always shift our perspective. Both the aforementioned perspectives hold true for us. Every day we find ourselves faced with situations that require us to make choices and tasks which call for our attention. The feeling of being stuck in this loop is inevitable if you are unable to step back and shift your perspective. It is easy to go on a down root spiral if you forcefully hold this one view which might result in feelings of anxiety and overwhelm.
Knowing is half the battle! With all that said, how can we best apply this knowledge to better deal with the needs of our material world? If you have ever been on a plane, you should know what it's like to look down at the world through its window. Watching as everything becomes smaller and smaller. The houses, cars, traffic, and things that used to be so prominent are now small and somewhat insignificant. It's not that they don't exist anymore, only the distance between you and them has changed and so has their role of importance from this perspective. Imagine the same happening with your daily fears and worries. How much relief would it be to just breathe freely without feeling suffocated by overactive thoughts and worries? How easy would it be to deal with your problems if they did not seem so gigantic anymore?
Since most of us don't have planes! How do we best shift our perspective? Meditation does not make sense to everyone but it is a great tool for managing one's mind and emotions. With practice you will be able to quiet your mind, creating distance between you and your thoughts. Climbing high plains and looking at the world around you naturally induces this effect or a simple walk through the forest can also do the trick. You don't require a special place or holiday destination for this, get creative and climb the roof, lie on your back and watch the night sky. The whole point of this is to get out of your head, remember that you are a part of something bigger and that your problems are but a speck of dust in the desert. This is akin to the chess player's perspective here you can see new possibilities because your mind is clear and no longer clouded by nagging thoughts. Life is all about balance and learning to shift between the two perspectives without losing yourself in either one is an act of mastery. Only through practice can we learn and as a result gain confidence in our ability to stand firm in our truth and execute our plans with true conviction and precision.