Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Victorious Living

Home
Family, Parenting and Religion
How a Little Newness Can Transform Your Perspective

How a Little Newness Can Transform Your Perspective

Last updated on: September 9, 2019 at 1:29 pm by Victorious Living

How a Little Newness Can Transform Your Perspective 2019-09-09T13:29:43-04:00 Victorious Living

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

We moved to New York City two years ago. It has been nothing short of a dream come true. The magic of this city has enticed me for years and it is a joy to be living here.

One of the things I do as a New Yorker is take walks around the city. Past famous landmarks. Through famous parks. I want to get the full experience of the city. After two years of this, a certain routine has developed. A pattern. A few go-to routes that I really adore.

A couple days ago, my wife agreed to go on one of these walks with me. But she told me she wanted to do something new.

What System Two Can Do

As creatures of habit, we like familiarity. We like predictability. It makes us feel safe. This is why we develop System One behaviors. We also developed patterned ways of thinking and belief systems. It makes us feel safe.

My city-walks were the very same thing. But on Kylie’s request, I agreed to try something new. The problem with trying something new is that it excites my FOBO. I’m the kind of person who knows what I like and generally like to experience my known joys rather than take the risk of exploring for new ones. It sets my expectations into a tizzy.

We found ourselves walking across the Manhattan Bridge, from which is an incredible view of The Brooklyn Bridge and downtown Manhattan.

The value of newness is that it invites us into more. Our patterned perspective turns quickly into tunnel vision. System Two is the process of slowing down, deliberately thinking about what is around us.

System Two is a new angle from which to perceive the world. I love this city and seeing it from a different height, hearing the roar of the Q train as we hovered over the river, and catching a fuller view of downtown (The Manhattan Bridge is the perfect distance away) allowed me to see the city differently.

The views over Brooklyn were unique. Ending our walk over the Lower East Side showed the juxtaposition of poverty in the foreground with the financial center of the world a mile in the background.

Sometimes all we need in life is a new angle. To see anew, with fresh eyes and from completely unexplored perspectives. It awakens our thankfulness, excites the feeling of exploration and discovery, and reshapes our experience and perception.

A Renewed Perspective

There is nothing inherently wrong with my routine walks. I will continue to do them. But the next time I walk by Wall Street (where my new office is), I’ll remember how it looks from the Manhattan Bridge with the Lower East Side on the foreground. I’ll remember the income gap in this city and in this world. And it will continue to invite me to contemplate a host of significant questions.

The patterns of our world do provide an element of safety. But there is tons of room for some calculated risks. Drive a different route to work. Have dinner in a different room of the house. Invite a different acquaintance out to dinner. Wear a different outfit. Make different choices.

This is in no way scientific, but I would venture to say that only about half of our makeup is concerned with safety. The other half values adventure and learning. But our behavior does not hold the same balance.

We tend to be hoarders of the truth we have already discovered. We fight to reinforce what we already know, what we have already perceived. But truth is bigger than any one of us. There is more of it out there. More love. More beauty. More thankfulness. There is a more abundant life to be discovered if we will strain our system one and more often explore a different path.

Previous Post

July 18, 2018

Seeing Job in the Mirror

Next Post

July 23, 2018 The Liberating Process of Setting Boundaries for Myself

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Choices Conflict Resolution Culture Change Emotions Failure Faith Fear Freedom V Growth Healthy Communication Hope Identity Influence Leadership Learn Mistakes Mood Curve Ownership Perspective Power Relationships Self-Awareness Self-Governance Systems Thinking Three Things You Control Transformational Leadership Trust Truth Uncategorized Values Vision

Select a Month January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was rolled away from Jesus’ tomb?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A wall A door A fence A stone

Books by This Author Books by Victorious Living

See All Titles »