Looking At Life Through The Wrong End Of The Telescope

I was sad to hear of the death of Robin Williams. He had the ability to speak of routine events in a way that caused people to view things from a humorous perspective while some of his movies, like Patch Adams and Jakob the Liar, showed a more compassionate side.  I think that he was able to look at the world through the wrong end of a telescope and then share his perspective in ways that made us smile.

“I like nonsense.  It takes up the brain cells.  Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living; it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of the telescope, which is what I do, and that enables me to laugh at life’s realities.”  Dr. Seuss

There are others who have defined their careers by looking at life through the wrong end of the telescope too, but not all of them are comediennes.  I have always admired anyone who has the courage to refuse conformity and instead choose the road less travelled rather than let their life stagnate is a pool of sameness. Robin Williams and Joan Rivers are two recent examples of people who were not afraid to follow a less common path but our founding fathers, Dr. Seuss, The Beetles, Gloria Steinham, Beethoven, and many others come to mind when I think of those who were not afraid to define themselves on their own terms rather than the terms that society dictates to be the acceptable norm.  These people have been called innovators, odd, nerds, and rebels  but these are also people who were less afraid of forging ahead on the unknown path than they were of losing touch with their dreams by taking the safe route and doing what made everyone else comfortable

“Think left and think right and think low and think high.

Oh the thinks you can think up if you only try.”

Dr. Seuss.

 

I just lost a sister who taught me to take risks. She taught me to think beyond what everyone else is doing so I could find my own path. On the morning of her funeral I had to stop by my father’s grave.  I am familiar with the cemetery but this cemetery is terraced into the side of a mountain and has several sections that I have labelled as old, older, oldest and ancient.  My heart was full of grief and my mind was on other things so I inadvertently took the wrong road. I found myself on a narrow muddy road  that wound its way through the brush and up the hill. There were times when I could feel my heart contract as I navigated around part of the road that had been washed away. At times I was forced to drive so close to the edge so I could avoid trees that were uprooted but, since backing down the hill scared me more than moving forward, I forged ahead.  The road eventually led me into an older part of the cemetery where the road was still narrow but not as frightening.  As I emerged from the underbrush, I found myself almost at the top of the hill in a part of the cemetery that was unfamiliar to me.  The intense green of shrubs, trees, and grass made the cement headstones stand out against a blue sky.  It had rained the night before and rays from the sun were shining through the remaining clouds.  I stopped and looked around in delight because the scene was absolutely spectacular.  My little detour reminded me of years past when my sister and I travelled similar unknown roads in search of adventure and on several occasions we were rewarded with a spectacular view. It felt as though she was with me, encouraging me to just keep going forward, reminding me that the road less travelled often turns an ordinary journey into an extraordinary adventure.

 

Each one of us must make his own path through life. There are no self-help manuals, no formulas, and no easy answers.  The right road for one is the wrong road for another….The journey of life is not paved in blacktop; it is not brightly lit, and it has no road signs.  It is a rocky path through the wilderness.

Scott Peck

The Road Less Travelled

 

That narrow road at the cemetery reminded me that if I blindly follow what everyone else does, or travel only the roads that everyone else travels, the result will be more predictable but I will also limit myself to what everyone else saw and did.  If I want to experience something new, then I need to look at life in a different way (perhaps through the wrong end of the telescope) and take the risk of being different.

Why would you try to fit in when you are born to stand out?”
Dr. Seuss

 

 

Those people who are not afraid of looking through the wrong end of the telescope and then share their perspective while projecting humor and compassion are an inspiration to me.  They prove, without a doubt, that we cannot be unique and blend in at the same time, nor should we try to do so.  A beloved comedienne passing and a wrong turn at the cemetery made me realize that it takes courage to stand out but I think it is worth the risk because that space just beyond the boundary line, the line that separates what the world has defined as normal from everything else, is where the adventure begins.