Un-Blur, Un-Sharpen the Images and Live Longer

 “Live longer” might be a false claim. Even just “living” may only work if it fits your definition of it. But what if the very clarity of our internal ‘images’ holds the key to both how we interact with others and how we navigate our own lives?

Recently, I was in a discussion with a few teammates. I tried to explain a few things that, in my mind, needed fixing. I gave a quick glimpse of the issues, assuming they would catch the core idea. They did. Just not the one I intended. Soon, they were pointing out fixes and efforts for their interpretation, leaving me wondering, “How did we get here?”

Well, it is all about assumptions and the mental images each of us sees. A fundamental requirement in communication is not just creating an image but also learning to transfer it to others as accurately as possible. The challenge, however, is that we rarely share the entire image. We assume the listener will fill in the blanks - which they do, but sometimes with the wrong pieces. The result? They either get a blurry image or a sharpened one that is not quite right. It ends positively or negatively based on the situation (luck!). Of course, it is our responsibility to convey it as best we can.

Now for the interesting part: Do we have this same struggle within ourselves? Let us suppose, without needing any proof, that we can have multiple versions of ourselves, and these versions can converse. This is extremely powerful, because when we do, we get immense clarity in our thoughts, which in turn helps to strengthen our confidence. Of course, even here, the same challenge - transferring the image clearly from one version of “you” to another.

Let us jump to a slightly complicated one: A significant part of our “living” is already happening in the future, with the present merely offering a reflexive completion.  How much time we spend “living in the future” depends on many factors, like our age, goals, and birthplace. Let me connect this back to those “images” I mentioned. 

There is often an original image, created in a distant future, long before it was meant to become real, that continuously shifts and changes, influenced by present and future realities.  Think of it like replanning our post-arrival activities while the train's arrival time keeps changing. These internal images - hundreds, millions even - keep our minds busy, creating an internal rollercoaster that affects our physical and psychological well-being. While a blurry image can be frustrating, a sharply defined image can keep us excited, often falsely. The longer the gap between imagining something and seeing it come true, the more intense the emotional toll becomes.

And then there are the “dangerous images,” the ones we create but see no path to reality. If we are faced with a cluster of these images that will never meet the present, we are left with a sense of blankness, a “nowhere to go” state. It is extremely important to accept that external factors will always influence, distract, and produce a different reality than the one we imagined. This is how it works,  and it works in a way that offers new beginnings. If one fails to accept this (hope), it creates chaos that ends in stress, and that stress ends with the end.