Horizons is one of the most significant concepts, but most people are totally unaware of it. I will try to explain in this blog.
Exactly what is a Horizon? When you look out in an open area eventually the land will disappear with a line where your view of the land ends. It could be a flat line or the ridge of mountains in the distance. It could be less obvious if you were on a boat look at where the water ends and the shy starts. It is clear that the distance one can see varies and thus the horizon varies that is the significant concept or point.
If this does not make much sense to you, here is how the concept applies to you and your life. When you think about some thing that is related to time, how far into the future do you include events in your set of passivity's? That length of time is your horizon. Some people consider events or facts farther into the future than others. That is one reason the concept of horizon is so significant.
Let's discuss some applications of the concept of horizon. One of the best examples of a person or a society that had a very long horizon is when the Chinese started the building of the famous "Wall of China" knowing that he would never see it completed nor would his children, It was much the same with the Pyramids of Egypt. There are also examples right here in the USA as well.
Look at early farmers here in the USA 200 years ago/ They had to farm fields what were covered with rocks and stones as well as trees. Those original farmers knew that they would never reap the benefits of their efforts, but their children might so the dug out rocks and tree stumps. The lesson from all of this is that horizons can and do change over time. Today most people have a much shorter horizon than those of 200 years ago. If you have not noticed. our younger people are showing that many have an even shorter horizon. We often call this "instant gratification{ because that is what it has become. Few now want to do the work that is required to gain the benefits, they want every thing right now.
How short can ones horizon get before the whole society fails? I think that we can now see the change and know that there is no free lunch which is what a person with a very short horizon expects. What is your horizon and how does that compare with the horizon of your children. You could even look at one of the differences between Liberals and Conservatives in terms of horizons, What do you think the answer is? Think about horizon and ask your friends about them as well.
