Thinking Small in a World Focused on the Big

A very common phrase we hear today is "think about the big picture." I've always wondered why. I've also wondered how. How do we focus on the big picture and ignore the small?

The answer is to focus on the "big picture" through the small. We must sum up all the pieces. "The big picture" does not need to eliminate the small; it merely needs to be a connection of the small. It is similar to a teacher in a classroom. The teacher must focus on the "big picture" to educate the students. He/She must focus on the common themes within the classroom and how the students as a whole learn. This is where the tricky part comes in. If the teacher was to only focus on the "big picture," only 70% of the class would likely succeed. The teacher must adapt lesson plans to accommodate for students who learn differently, students who grew up in a different background. A teacher needs to earn a better grade than a C.

Grades. Another notion that focuses entirely on the big. Is my total self worth expressed by the letter B? Am I a mediocre, little above average person who knows enough information to get by? This letter decides my future. This tiny letter encompasses huge assumptions and unknowns. There is no way a future employer can tell if I'm a hard worker or a fast learner. The letter merely says I couldn't get top marks. It doesn't say how or why, but the majority of society seems to think it does. I am not a B. I am an extremely hard work, very motivated and always striving to learn more. This B was because all of these attributes apply to the things I believe in. I do not apply them to a class that I never wanted to take or a professor that never learned how to teach. I am witty, experienced, lovable, caring, passionate, deep, wounded, rounded, dysfunctional, anxious and a listener. Breaking this down further though, do these words sum up what I mean or who I am? Words are powerful, but can they truly express what we want them to? Do we simply believe they do without reflecting on how others interpret these words? This is my exploration for the quarter. The small. Words. Letters. Smaller?