Mosaic of life

The life size painting looked spectacular from a distance. The figure on the canvas seemed  life like and  felt as if she would walk straight out of the picture  and sit next to you any moment. The canvas seemed to have frozen her in time, but it could not restrain the vitality in her eyes as also her vivacious expression. As I moved closer to appreciate the work of art, my optical zoom started picking up subtle imperfections. The strokes of the brush had left their footprints at various spots. The different shades that were amorphously merging into a continuum now showed  some individuality. As I got closer ,the nuances seemed to look coarse and when only a couple of feet separated me from the canvas, i seemed to realise that my intense appreciation of this art relied on  a sort of visual distortion that the distance generated. The picture (the object) and  me (the subject) remained the same. What changed the equation was the distance which manipulated my perception. The greater distance afforded a birds eye view of the picture. It permitted  a more holistic assessment. From a distance,the strokes merged effortlessly into one another self  effacingly . They  collectively created an optical illusion of   reality.   Stepping closer made  the individual strokes far more egoistic and  assert  their uniqueness. Jostling  for attention.   Focusing on smaller and smaller portions distorted the picture .The  apparent perfection from a distance was paradoxically  a symphony of   imperfections.  Distance forgave these imperfections and  blessed my perception with a wholesome benevolence. The beauty of the picture seemed to rely on a certain minimum distance, a threshold of sorts ,which ,when transgressed  revealed a distortion.  " The  law of diminishing beauty" , in the economics of appreciation.  Proximity comes at the cost  of  scrutiny which   throws up imperfections, that  are innate or inevitable.  Distance  conceals  imperfections subtlely  without intent to deceive. Distance, between subject and object  has wider connotations. Maintaining distance  impacted  relationships,  appraisal of our lives,  dealing with a problems, and maybe for a host of  perceptive phenomenon. Being close to a person requires  an acceptance of his imperfections which will eventually become obvious.  Continuous proximity over time highlights the imperfections and "love " may be developing a conditioned  ability to blur the incongruence in the person. A holistic "distanced" appraisal of life is the cornerstone for happiness. Life is a mosaic, a collage, and its beauty lies in perceiving  it in totality. The human body is the greatest testimony to this truth. The body an inveritable mosaic of cells working synchronously and selflessly. Each cell as alive as the entire form. And yet, working silently, and unobtrusively.The beauty of the entire form lies in a continuity , and harmony of its individual constituents. A "pixelated " view  of existence is the  harbinger of unhappiness and frustration. Such  a mindset distorts the beauty of life by a futile attention to detail. Ability to look at the larger picture, helps maintain balance and  equanimity. The larger picture is visible only if one takes those crucial few steps to distance oneself . The distance that is so crucial to obscure the imperfections into an integrated assessment of reality. For those who look at life close upfront,  the aberrations  predominate and  become a source of misery and bitterness .They  lack the ability to see an underlying holistic beauty in the casual disarray of life. Extremes of this mindset manifest as ailments ,  such as OCD, hypertension ,depression to name a few. Reality is a blend of  perfection and imperfection. What can be changed is perception.. I walked away from the picture to the exit, with a deep sense of respect for "distance " that was as crucial for the beauty of the painting as the genius of the  artist.    Dr. Deepak Ranade. (the author is a consultant neurosurgeon)