Significance of hindsight and perspective

PPSYCHODELIC STALL RUNSFORD LARYEA

ART of the human beings’ innate psychological makeup is our minds’ natural ability to offer hindsight – which is basically a form of retrospective way in which we can see, interpret, analyse and explain experiences and life events from the immediate or distant past without the cloud of emotions present when the events unfold in real time. A pretty winding explanation I agree, however, there is the highest possible possibilities that it is something you (too) experience quite often.

Essentially, hindsight is an individual’s personal glimpse into the past, as well as some sort of self-interrogation with regard to what, how and in what way you could have done to influence that particular life event for the better or worse. Hindsight is a reflective process that any human being, with a healthily functioning ‘tool between the ears’, should have, particularly given the important function it plays in facilitating our personal psychosocial growth and our general development as members of the community.

My intrigue with hindsight is in its psychological value to the individual – the fact that it offers almost a ‘mirror’ from which we are able to see past (and sometimes present) situations from a different perspective, from which you initially had. For me, our ability and access to hindsight is a human characteristic with superpower attributes in that, if used accurately, it could direct your actions, thoughts and emotions in comprehensively more positive ways. As you would expect, an individual’s constant engagement with their society – whether through work, family, personal relationships and friendships – requires them to be in constant interaction with one another and it is through these domains of socialising that place us in need of something such as hindsight.

But unfortunately for us, hindsight is something we are only privy to after the ‘main event’ has occurred; only after you have made that decision and taken that action is when you come to the realisation that maybe you could have handled things better. Situations like physical altercations, for instance, wishing you had done better in a relationship or a marriage you were previously in or even something as basic as wishing you had used a different set of words toward

someone, are some of the every day examples of our encounters with hindsight, even though there are plenty more complex instances of it.

Of the many things that it teaches us, hindsight does well to hold us accountable for what we do, how we think and also how we feel. Many people are currently in deplorable physical, financial and psychological conditions as a result of their actions or how they chose to ‘live their lives’ and, unfortunately, all they have is regret, especially as they gaze at their lives retrospectively. Psychologically, this can continue to haunt us, particularly as we keep playing back that particular experience or event over and over in our minds; one may argue that is the downside of hindsight. Another thing we are meant to learn from a reflective exercise such as this is better decision making.

Although it may seem unattainable in real time, making better decisions may become shrouded in emotions which may lead to faulty choices that have massive future repercussions, however, once you have the awareness of how you feel at the time and knowing that those feelings are only temporary, you are able to make a decision that is independent of everything else. Also, hindsight is a perfect premise to treat everyone else fairly, with respect and with courtesy; breeding a more emotionally controlled and psychologically mature environment, and one where people make less irrational decisions based on how they feel at a particular time. Send comments to runsford0505@gmail.com.