The View From Above

‍The view from above is a simple Stoic exercise that can shift your worldview and transform your perspective on everyday problems. It can imbue your daily life with humility, gratitude, and connectivity, yet it's as accessible as your next breath.

Intrigued? Let's dive deeper into this ancient Stoic practice and discover its potential for your life.

What Is The View From Above

"This is a fine saying of Plato: That he who is discoursing about men should look also at earthly things as if he viewed them from some higher place. He should look at them in their assemblies, armies, agricultural labours, marriages, treaties, births, deaths, noise of the courts of justice, desert places, various nations of barbarians, feasts, lamentations, markets, a mixture of all things and an orderly combination of contraries." Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 7.48

Greater understanding and wisdom come from looking at our experiences through multiple lenses; the view from above offers exactly that.

When problems and struggles occur, we tend to focus solely on our - often narrowed - perspective. The view from above will widen our view and remove the self-centered lens to reduce its impact, which is often influenced by our emotions. By shifting our focus to a broad and objective perspective, we can consider our situation in the context of current world events, history, and the universe.

We look at ourselves and our problems from a higher perspective - without emotional weight and biased judgment. This allows us to see things more clearly and make better, more rational decisions.

How You'll Benefit From The View From Above

The Stoic view from above aims to keep our tranquility and remain unwavering against occurring troubles.

Too frequently, we focus on the problem, indulging in our negative emotions, which often worsen things. Instead of accepting reality and finding solutions, we lament the unfairness of the situation, which leads only to an emotional abyss that makes it challenging to escape from.

We get stuck and unhappy.

But with the view from above, we can detach ourselves from our emotions and see the bigger picture.

Contemplating the vastness of the cosmos and the smallness of our concerns allows us to down-regulate our emotions. Instead of dwelling on our personal struggles, we can see how they fit into the grand scheme of things, realizing the pettiness of our situation within the everchanging cosmos.

Furthermore, we begin to understand that we are not alone and even the most powerful humans in history experienced difficulties. And when others have gone through similar or more demanding situations, we can manage it, too.

It's humbling yet energizing and can replace anger, doubts, fear, or pain with compassion and love and can grow our emotional resilience.

By practicing the view from above, we calm down and release the negative power of our self-centered thought spiral. At its end, we can find a state of mind Stoics call apatheia. It's a constitution where we are not disturbed by our passions or emotions but instead guided by reason.

As we settle our minds, we can use our newfound energy to find solutions to our problems. Of course, they won't disappear magically. But seeing our issues in a different context reminds us that our perceived problems aren't often as big as we think. More usually, they are just a side note in history and even in our lives.

How To Practice The View From Above

"Think of the universal substance, of which you have a very small portion and of universal time, of which a short and indivisible interval has been assigned to you. And of that which is fixed by destiny, and how small a part of it you are." Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.24

You can use three techniques, standalone or combined, to harness the entire force of the view from above.

Each method begins with sitting down and taking a moment to soothe your mind. Ensure you don't get disturbed, close your eyes, and slow your breath.

Then, picture your challenge vividly and as detailed as possible. It can be helpful to materialize it as a bubble or pure energy in the form of an orb in front of you. Something you can carry with you as you work through these techniques. Feel free to play around with what works best for you.

Next, go on with one of the following techniques.

Technique 1: The Cosmic View

• You start to fly, seeing your house, neighborhood, and the city getting smaller and smaller. Think about all the humans you encounter, their problems, fears, pains, and hopes.
• Keep ascending to see all the countries, continents, oceans, and beautiful landscapes. With each step, you broaden your perspective and think about all humans and other living beings, how they relate to each other, and their hardships.
• Finally, you see the entire planet and find yourself in the Milky Way. You realize how everything on earth is interconnected. How wind and rain, the oceans and the forests, all living beings and humans are part of one extensive system. Everything and everyone contributes to life and is part of nature.
• Next, go deeper into space and picture the entire Milky Way with all its stars and planets.
• Take a moment to reflect on your own place in the universe. How does it make you feel?
• Lastly, go all the way backward, open your eyes, and watch your feelings. Do you see your problems in a different light now?

Technique 2: The Temporal View

• Start by visualizing yourself in the present moment. Then, go backward in time. 10 years, 20 years, 50 years, 100 years, and so forth.
• For each step you take, consider the different aspects of history. What challenges might our ancestors have had? What tools and technologies did they use? How did their environments differ from ours?
• You begin to see human development from the present to its beginning and slowly leave the time of humans toward prehistory until the earth's birth.
• You begin to understand that the world is constantly changing and that change is the only constant in life.
• Now, you come back to the present, step by step. But you don't stop there. Instead, you go forward in time, imagining yourself 10 years, 20 years, 50 years from now. What changes do you see happening in the world? How have these changes affected the way humans live?
• Spare a few moments to reflect on your place in time. What emotions does it evoke within you? 
• Lastly, return to the present, open your eyes, and watch your feelings. Have your problems taken on a new perspective?

Technique 3: The Global Happenings View

• You start again by visualizing yourself in the present moment. But instead of leaving the planet or traveling back and forth in time, you expand your view by imagining the difficulties people worldwide experience.
• As you observe their struggles in the diverse environments of humanity, you compare your situation and problems with the troubles they face.
• As you leave your bubble, you realize that many others are going through similar struggles, just like you. You find comfort in knowing that we're all in this together, just like one human family. 
• Next, you realize how others deal with difficulties far beyond yours. Furthermore, they lack the tools and resources that you have at your disposal. Deep inside, an understanding grows that maybe, just maybe, your problems aren't as big as you initially thought. Still, you inherently own the capabilities to overcome whatever is in your way to happiness (eudaimonia).
• Open your eyes, watch your feelings, and contemplate this realization. Has your perspective changed? Do you see things differently now? How does it feel?

Final Thoughts

While critics might wonder if such a shift in perspective wouldn't make us feel despair and deemphasize our individual struggles, Stoics argue the contrary. By acknowledging our interconnectedness to something larger, we can find strength in knowing we're not alone in this vast and complex world.

Realizing the proper size of your problems related to the cosmos, time, or current world events doesn't minimize the value of your experiences or trivialize them. Instead, it puts them into perspective, regulates our emotions, and enables us to act rationally.

Therein lies the immense power of the view from above in Stoicism.