Motorcyclists are cautioned about a phenomenon known as
target fixation. When confronted by a potential hazard~~a dead skunk in the
roadway or a rock wall rising beside an unusually sharp curve~~the tendency is
to focus directly on the obstacle. In his book Total Control, riding instructor Lee Parks explains that, since “where you look is
where you go,” this natural tendency has often caused riders “to run right into
whatever it was they were looking at.”
The same is true in life. As I fixate on a perceived slight
or major worry, that focus claims me. My energy flows toward whatever I give
awareness to.
Does this mean we ignore all disturbances and blithely
travel down the roadways of our lives? Of course not. After a quick burst of
what Parks calls spotlight vision to determine our best response, he urges
us to expand our view to a floodlight vision which “illuminates a larger area with less intensity,” and returns us to a fuller perspective.
If I fixate on financial difficulties, for example, my
vision narrows. I not only lose touch with the many joys that abound, but my
upset can blind me to alternative avenues for improving my position. A flexible
approach is wiser. Taking clear stock of my situation, I then focus, not on the
problem itself, but on the path around the problem. As I do what’s mine to do~~no more, no less~~I am freed to return to
floodlight vision, thus remembering myself into a larger context.
Zeroing in on difficulties removes me from a felt experience
of life in its fullness. The blue of the sky is lost and the simple perfection
of a given moment passes without my conscious awareness and participation. Parks asserts that, “the farther ahead you look in a turn,
the better off you will be.” Translated into our terms, this encourages us to
respond appropriately while keeping ourselves attuned to that which is eternal
and unchanging. It’s not that we don’t focus. It’s that we focus wisely and
flexibly.
On a related note, the movie I Am shares some of the latest research on democratic
decision~making among grazing animals in the wild. The choice of which watering
hole to visit and when is not always made by the alphas of the herd, as was
originally assumed. As thirst grows, animals gradually stop grazing and begin pointing their noses in the direction of their preferred pool. The location with the
most “votes” wins.
An
interesting phenomenon to consider at election time. We can allow our focus to
be consumed by hate and fear mongering~~skunks in the roadway for sure~~or we
can hold to a truer vision. Spiritual teachings assert that we are intricately
connected, and urge us to nurture our capacity for love while tempering our
tendency toward self~interest.
During this election, let’s point our noses in the direction of interconnection and shared responsibility for our children, one another and the earth itself. As we hold to this larger vision, whether in politics or our personal lives, we’ll be less likely to hit dead skunks head~on or run off the road entirely.
During this election, let’s point our noses in the direction of interconnection and shared responsibility for our children, one another and the earth itself. As we hold to this larger vision, whether in politics or our personal lives, we’ll be less likely to hit dead skunks head~on or run off the road entirely.
Loanne Marie
