Things look different up close than they do from far away. Of course, this is no new sentiment. However, I have particularly noticed this lately as I look at my dog often, because he is so cute (of course), but it has struck me as something relevant to so many aspects of our lives. With my dog, he looks so noble and regal from afar, but as you get close, he’s certainly still cute, but the close proximity reveals a sweeter, fluffier side. Or with one’s significant other, for example, perhaps at first glance or when you first meet, you see them in one light, and then as you get to know them with time, you see them in a different light (not necessarily in a bad way, just different). With food, something may look and smell delicious from afar, but as you taste it, you may not like the taste and your initial positive perception of it changes. With an artwork, it may look like one thing from afar and then something else up close. I think this especially is probably a very common occurrence. Or with things like movies or music, you may have one perception of them at first glance and another as you delve further. This observation, of things appearing one way from afar and another way up close, is a fairly obvious observation but one that I think has significant implications. If this is the case, we must be very weary of how we perceive things and not jump to a quick conclusion that that perception is the correct one. We must step back and evaluate whether or not our initial impression is accurate and wait for things to settle in before we make a judgement.