Reflections in a Toolshed

I think that CS Lewis makes a very good distinction between two different ways we look at things. After reading this article, I can find lots of different areas that apply to Lewis' comparison between looking at something and looking along something. Almost anything that we do or feel can be looked at from these two viewpoints. I think that we need to look both at things and along things in order to understand them best. If we only look at things from the outside, we miss the significance that they have on those experiencing it. If we only look along things, we can fail to understand the real effects that they have on us. We need both perspectives in order to understand things and make good decisions based on what we understand.

There many areas in today's society where people don't consider both of these ways of looking at things. Some people fail to objectively look at their actions and do things that they later regret. When someone buys a car or house that they can't afford, loses their virginity, or gets addicted to drugs, they do something that feels good, but has consequences that could have easily been seen if they had looked at their actions objectively. Other times people do things that might look good from the outside, but cost so much in experience that it isn't worth it. Many Americans get so obsessed with work, that they don't have time for family, hobbies, or any real experiences. We need to look both at and along things to make choices that satisfy both our physical and emotional needs.