“Overview Effect” Lead Me To The “Inner view Effect”
Learn what astronauts experience and link it to self-discovery
“When astronauts first saw Earth from afar in the Apollo 8 mission in 1968 — the US’s second manned mission to the moon — they described a cognitive shift in awareness after seeing our planet “hanging in the void.”
This state of mental clarity called the “overview effect” occurs when you are flung so far away from Earth that you become totally overwhelmed and awed by the fragility and unity of life on our blue globe. It’s the uncanny sense of understanding the “big picture,” and of feeling connected yet bigger than the intricate processes bubbling on Earth.”
Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Sir Richard Branson, NASA, and with the help of many others, we can now experience the “Overview Effect” right from the comfort of our living room.
But, listen to an astronaut to get the real feel.
They say that “From down below we look at Sun in the middle of the blue sky. While, from up there, the Sun is just a small part of the dark and black Cosmos.”
Close your eyes, lift yourself to the ISS (International Space Station), and witness this beautiful pale blue dot, our home. The “Overview effect” will hit you right in the gut. Life on Earth will not only become too small; it will become too big at the same time. Life will be fragile and strong at the same time.
You Are A Spacewalker
Imagine that you are a Spacewalker, and looking at the Planet Earth for the first time, from miles up in the sky. You are looking at this astonishing blue ball. It’s intriguing. It’s beautiful. You clicked a few pictures and formed a few assumptions about the activities this planet is holding to explore and experience.
But, can you actually see the beautiful life forms on this blue planet from far up there? Is it possible to notice the tiny actions, movements, and growth happening everywhere?
No.
So what do you do?
You open a user manual and a rule book that you are carrying with yourself — “How to explore new planets.” These are a few sets of rules, and it allows you to explore further, but still, you are too far from all the life happening on this planet.
The manual is not helping you, and the rule book doesn’t allow you to go deep. It’s risky, it says. The rule book and the user manual are boundaries your system has put on to yourself.
The beauty of this elusive planet still awaits you!
As Carlo Rovelli notes in his book — The Order Of Time, — “From the Moon, they could see nothing of the exuberant agitation of life on Earth, its plants and animals, desires, and despairs. Only a veined blue ball. Within the reflections of a glass of water, there is an analogous tumultuous life, made up of the activities of a myriad of molecules — many more than there are living beings on Earth.”
The Inner view effect
Have you been to an extreme height? A tall building, or a significant monument or a hill? The view, the feeling, and the perspective you experience are the “Overview Effect.” The effect hits us when we see something from far, from up above.
This understanding allowed me to coin another term — “Inner view effect.”
“Inner view effect” hits you when you travel towards yourself and take the journey towards self-discovery. This allows you to uncover the beauty within. The secrets which lie inside you. The power, the potential, the assumptions, and the belief.
As the “overview effect” leaves the astronauts in awe, the “inner view effect” will make its impact too.
Don’t Be A Spacewalker Of Your Life.
You, too, are looking at yourself from miles up above. Your belief system, assumptions, fear, emotions, joy, and everything is the product of a rule book and a user manual handed over to you by someone else.
Just like a Spacewalker can’t form a detailed view without entering the atmosphere of a new planet, you can’t understand yourself without coming close to your personal opinions and beliefs.
Be brave to discover and explore yourself.
Ask the right questions. Question the rule book and the user manual made by the world around you. Your belief system does not belong to you. Be flexible to change and question the user manual and the rule book handed over to you by your parents, your school, your mentors, and see what lies deep within this elusive planet called — YOU.
Let’s achieve The Inner View effect
Ask the right questions
I am a big fan of “Thinking on paper,” it’s more effective than the traditional thinking process.
Every morning, I open my journal book and answer a couple of self-discovery questions. My mind not only lets me open up; it allows me to explore my deep beliefs. That’s the “Inner view effect” for me.
Self-discovery prompts are all over the internet. Pick any 20–25 of them and start answering them from tomorrow. They will reveal yourself to you — layer by layer like an Onion.
Reflection
“Reflection” is a recent addition to my “Inner view” journey.
Now, either just before wrapping up my day or during my early morning meditation, I try to exercise “Reflection” by recalling the events from the previous day in chronological order.
In just a few days, I have felt the difference. I am in more control of my day. My memory has improved immensely. My sleep quality has immediately shown improvements. And, there is a feeling of blessing deep within.
Envisioning
One might assume that “Reflection” was to look back in the past. But it’s not. It’s a reflection, and there is no judgment involved here. “Envisioning” is to look into the future. But again, it’s envisioning, and it requires no-decision.
You can envision your past or your future. It’s ultimately your choice.
While meditating a couple of days back, I observed that my mind was not at rest. I sat down with my eyes closed and envisioned the chimp inside my mind. He was jumping from one place to the other. He was worried, fearful. I stopped him, asked a few basic questions. I envisioned a mature chat between him and me. We soon arrived at a mutual agreement.
I envisioned an agreement that he will remain calm and co-operate when I need my creative best, and I will help him with his period of calmness when he will ask for it.
We can do envisioning in any form. You can envision a trip to the place you want, meet someone you ever wished to meet, have a discussion with a person, and so on.
When you “envision” something, you create an actual image in your mind. This image or map will help you in the journey towards achieving the “inner view effect.”
Meditation
Probably, this is the easiest way to let yourself loose in the world of “inner view effect.” Listen to the birds chirping, feel the surrounding breeze, notice the breathing, or let anything which helps you set free from your thoughts.
Even a few seconds of such a “thoughtless” journey will help you with bags full of “inner views.”
A spacewalker will never understand the beauty of Earth till he places his feet on our ground. You will not gauge your potential till you set foot inside your inner you.
Mirror gazing
I have already spoken about the mirror gazing. This one of my favorite self-discovery exercises and takes only 100–120 seconds.
Stand in front of a mirror and just gaze towards yourself. Let the eyes meet eyes. Set your gaze on every minor detail of your face.
While going through the exercise, you will go through a range of thoughts. These thoughts are nothing but the “Inner view effect.”
Conclusion
The video in the article shared below will help you understand what an Astronaut feels and discovers from up there.
Turn the table, look at our Mother Earth from their eyes, and you will find the true meaning of the “Overview Effect.” Turn the tables again and now help yourself by understanding the “Inner view effect.”
The results will not only leave you in awe and inspiration; it will lead you to a fresh path — the path of self-awareness, self-discovery, happiness, and success.
Inspired by:
Nishith is a Chartered Accountant by profession. He is a Marathoner, an avid reader, writer, aspiring author, and a personal-transformation coach. He manages a unique self-transformation platform — “Be Better Bit-By-Bit.”
