The Broad Road Through

If you would be a real seeker after truth, 

it is necessary that at least once in your life 

you doubt, as far as possible, all things.

-Descartes

I had a difficult time accepting this aspect of myself, but compared to the average person, I am really bad with details. I’m not sure if it’s because I find them boring or because I’m simply bad at paying attention to them. Due to this, I’m not good at recalling facts or dealing with practical matters. I’m beginning to accept however, that I have substituted that skill with a different one.

Broad-mindedness. I naturally tend to connect the big dots rather than notice the details in between. In a conversation, while reading, or while studying, I give up on trying to remember facts and details and opt for relating whatever information I’m observing to other things I’ve seen, heard, or experienced. This distinction is far less nebulous than I had once supposed and I think each person has an inclination for one form of processing or the other.

The psychologist Erich Fromm, for example, presents a clear display of broad-mindedness in his book The Art of Loving. As he explores the general idea of love, he touches on motherly love, erotic love, brotherly love, self-love, and even love of God. These forms of love may certainly be different when examined individually, but he zeroes in on the aspect they all share in common and proceeds to connect the dots. This pattern-seeking tendency is what I seem to lean towards as well. 

Why is this distinction between attention to details and attention to the big picture important? One of the most important reasons is that it builds self-awareness: noticing what types of information we pay attention to helps us understand ourselves a bit more.

It has helped me become more comfortable with my seemingly chaotic entrance to mid-life. Not following the conventional route has caused me a good deal of stress along the way (as I’m sure it does for anyone choosing to follow their own path). Understanding my affinity for the big-picture has granted me some much-needed confidence while traversing the social wilderness. Maybe it can help you too :)