Foresight or Hindsight?

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I sometimes ponder about the wonders and the importance of foresight and hindsight. Effective tools we can use in life. I know to myself at some point I have done and applied these two. How I always remind myself the significance of having these two approaches that I could similarly learn from. Of course I would rather have foresight than hindsight because it is much more favorable to my advantage. Lesser hassle and much more closer to the goal. Yet still my experience of both are equally the same. Which I find intriguingly funny to myself. Because the more hindsight's I have been to, the more I should be avoiding it and should lean more towards foresight.


Let's take a look at Hindsight first. This is something that we realized and learned after getting over a problem or a situation, whether we have solved it or not. Most often this requires painful experiences because of our lack of conviction in planning ahead before diving into something that we really want. Probably too much excitement or that strong eagerness, that need not any further digging. I've got to have this one right now! All of the attention is poured in the exhilaration of acquiring and ignoring the consequences. We thought we have planned it all out as simple and as effective in our mind. The ego says: I got this one right, put  your feet up I will take care of it. Until the whole thing hits us. Too late to react now, what's done is done. That's it. This is not a put down on the mistakes we have done on our past at all. We all can learn from it. I have had many of those and frankly speaking all of it took me to where I am now, attitude and character wise. I am not saying it's all flawless, all I can say is that I am more careful now than I used to be. The positive effects are the lessons I have learned from it, only in a much harder way. All the hassles and frustrations I have to go through, in a way, gave me a chance to see the things I should have anticipated before it all happened. I pick myself up, dust myself off and move along. That's the best thing that I can do about it and that's all I can ever do about it. You cannot be too cautious all the time.


Then there is Foresight. This one brings more advantage than the previous, in my own estimate. Having this approach as my priority in whatever I would be aspiring for is the most wise and reliable method for me. The paradox is that in order to have a greater conviction of foresight you should have a lot of experience with hind-sights. It is more on planning ahead, more strategic methodology. Looking at the problems that could eventually get in the way.  Not focusing on what could go wrong but seeing ways to unravel it in case it happens. Solution oriented not fault finding, being more mindful of possible consequences. Some people think it is a method of problem forecasting, but really it is just thinking of proactive ways if things do not go the way we want them to be. Because bad things happens. Which I think is more fair to consider. You cannot be too careless or reckless also.


Having foresight does not mean that you have to rely on a crystal ball, requiring us to dial 1-800-Psychic or whatever. We can get it from our gut feeling or intuition. Our inner guide is our intuition. Little by little I am slowly learning to listen to it. Though there are times I am still struggling in discerning whether it's coming from fear or intuition. Hopefully practice will help me progress in using it more often. Combination of strategy and gut feeling are great tools for a more successful foresight.


So hopefully as I mature I will have more fore-sights than hind-sights. Of course I would not mind having hind-sights every now and then. It's part of life's contrast. Which one do you think is more helpful to you between the two? :)


Dark Knight (R.F.)