What is "Looking to the Horizon?"

What is Looking to the Horizon? To answer that lets talk about what the horizon is. The horizon is the circle that marks the limits of what we can see of the earth. Standing in one spot and slowly turning around the horizon is all around us as far as we can see.
Where I am right now the horizon is pretty close. There’s a hill in front of me. To either side there are buildings and behind me is the coffee shop I am sitting at. But if I went to the countryside and found a hill to stand on then the horizon would be a lot further away. I’d be able to see a lot of the earth. But because of the curve of the earth I’d still be limited by what I can see.
Still in the countryside if we went for a walk the horizon would be changing, sometimes closer sometimes further away but always there in front of us (and behind us and around us). If we keep our eyes on the horizon we’ll see changes at the earliest opportunity, we’ll see hills as they come up, cities, townships. And we can use what we see to guide us. When we see spires and it’s a town that we want to head for then as soon as we see those spires we can adjust our course if we need to so that we get there sooner.
But we also notice what is between us and it. Maybe there are obstacles in the way. Maybe they only become apparent as we get closer. So as well as looking to the horizon to see what is coming up we also look within the horizon to see what our next steps might be. Ideally what we might do is look to the horizon to see where we want to go and at the same time see everything between ourselves and the horizon to see how to get there. And each moment as we continue to move forwards the horizon changes and so does the path towards it.
Picking a path towards where we want to go the questions we might ask ourself is which path will continue to give me the best view of the way ahead. Hills and high points give us the best perspective and even though they require some work to get up if in the end they give us the best view possible and show us obstacles which we might not be aware of until we got to them then perhaps the effort to get up those hills is not wasted. And then it can be easier coming back down them. And so part of looking to the horizon is seeing the possible paths we can take and choosing the best from among them.
And so Looking to the Horizon is also choosing the path we wish to take. And one of the ways we can make choices is asking ourselves which path will continue to give us the best view of the way ahead.
Looking to the horizon is continually looking ahead to see what choices we have and then choosing from among them and it is choosing in such a way that from wherever we go next our view of the horizon is as big as possible so that we always have lots to choose from.

Riding a motorcycle with the desire to go fast the definition of “horizon” is slightly different. Because we are on a predefined path when we look ahead what we are trying to see is where the road goes next. And so if the road dips and all we can see of the road is up to the point where it dips then that dip marks our horizon. If the road goes up a hill and we can’t see beyond the crest of the hill then the crest of the hill marks our horizon. If the road bends and we can’t see beyond the turn then furthest point we can see into the turn marks our horizon. If there is lots of traffic (other racers) on the road, then that traffic defines our path and our horizon is the furthest point ahead that we can see through the traffic.
How do we get a better view of the way ahead? By positioning ourselves as best as possible. If the road dips or goes up a hill then we can sit up taller so that we see what’s coming up at the earliest opportunity. If the road goes around a bend then we position ourselves to the outside of the bend as much as possible (given the chances of traffic coming the other way and enough room to move back to a position of safety) so that we can as far around the bend as possible. If there is lots of traffic, then we line ourselves up with the path that we want to take so we can see through the traffic. And even as the conditions change, whether it is the road or what is on the road, we adjust ourselves to handle those conditions, always looking for the position that gives us the best view of the way ahead (given the situation we are in).

The further we can see ahead the faster we can go if we choose. The further we can see ahead the earlier we can see change as it appears. The further we can see ahead the more choices we give ourselves. Looking to the horizon we continually look ahead to see what choices we can make, and we choose in such a way that we always have more choices along the road ahead.

And as much as looking to the horizon is being aware of what is ahead of us it is also being aware of what is around us and behind us. What is the way we have come (if we have to back track) what is coming up from behind us or beside us that might affect my path. Driving slowly, what is around us that might be beautiful to look at.

Looking to the horizon we connect to the earth. But if we are riding a motorbike really fast it is also being aware of our connection to the bike so that we can make that connection as good as possible. And it is also being aware of the connections within ourselves. How each part of our body is related to every other part, how our mind is relating to our body and to what we are doing.

Being aware of what is within ourselves we sense the choices that our body gives us and we choose in such a way that we always have the possibility to move. And likewise sensing the connection between ourselves and the bike and the bike and the earth. What are the choices we can make that give all of those relationships the most room to move while keeping the relationship intact.

And as much as looking to the horizon is being aware of what is around us it is also being aware of what is within us. And it is also being aware of what we are connected to.
Looking to the horizon our awareness radiates outwards from the center of our being so that we are aware of all that is within us and well what is outside of ourselves. And connecting it all is the path that we are trying to take.

Links Related to this Article

Riding a Motorbike and connecting to it
Sensing our body
Sensing our body’s center
Room to Move