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The Benefits of a Limited Point of View
A modern commuter’s musings on uncertainty
On the commuter train the other day, I met up with God.
More precisely, I met up with God’s point of view.
I dropped into what it might feel like to be the ultimate, omniscient narrator of someone else’s story, and I saw how perhaps it’s not as satisfying as we think to have the infinite bird’s eye view, to see all that ever was and ever will be.
I was staring out the window, admittedly a little wistfully, listening to the new Frightened Rabbit tribute album, when we pulled into the station in Collingswood, New Jersey. I scanned the parking lot below to see if Collingswood would be a better place for me to park in the future, as it’s closer to the city and almost equally as far away from my home as the station I park at now.
I understood pretty quickly the lot was full so I felt a bit sorry for the driver of the black sedan entering it just then, weaving in and out of the lanes, doing what we all do in packed parking lots: drive into uncertainty with low-level optimism and high-level realism, and hope for a miracle.
From where I was sitting, I could see that there were no open spots. Not one. I shook my head, pitying the poor, hopeful fool down below. I wished I could save her…
