Observations From the Spectrum

Sometimes we need to remember it is not our compass that is broken when we find ourselves lost. We are lost because others have changed the path.

Horizons are where the sky meets the world. They are sometimes far in the distance and sometimes a few feet ahead. They are the points of our lives that either tell us we have arrived at a destination or have more to travel.

Some are easy. They are straight lines as far as the eye can see. The path to get there is laid out in front of us, and it’s just a matter of moving forward. Others are more of a challenge, like climbing a steep mountain. Working really hard to get to the blue sky only to arrive and find out you are only at a step and there is much more to go.

It’s life. It’s full of horizons and we use our internal compass to help navigate us from A to B. The problems we face, sometimes are not caused by a faulty compass, but by man’s desire to control nature.

Take a valley, for instance. Valleys are formed over the course of millions of years by water running through them. So when we get lost and head to the valley floor, what should be there is water. But many times we find that the valley floor is dry and barren.  

We applied logic and science to get there, only to find our needs not being met by nature. It wasn’t nature that failed us or our compass; it was man’s desire to control nature. Somewhere, up valley, into the mountains is a dam that stops the flow of water putting nature in an unnatural state.

When we land in these valleys, we need to climb out to get a better view and find our way. Up we go towards the sky. When we arrive there, we may be in luck, there may be snow or a lake, or it may reveal in what direction we need to go.

My life has been like that. Lots of mountains to climb and valleys to descend. It took me a long time to realize that when life isn’t turning out like I expected, like a valley floor with no water, it wasn’t my compass that was broken. It was another man’s desire to control the natural flow of nature that made the destination not ideal, and it was up to me to adapt and change.

Those who have the hardest time with modern day life are those with the most accurate compasses. Ours point to where things should be not where man has moved them. When we recognize this, life is easier to navigate. We come to understand that it is working for us as it should, but sometimes our path to the horizon takes unexpected turns and twists.

• All works at Observations from the Spectrum written by Dylan Netter
• Observationsfromthespectrum.org
• OFTS.blog 
• On? a third point of view – book of Essays
• Marinehippie.com podcast w/ Docstodden.com – dialogue exploring politics and musings of life 
• Horizoncoaching.org – English Tutor and Guide
• beehiveplus1.org