Long Story Short: The Power of Perspective
Two nights ago, I sat down with my daughter Kayla, a high school senior and soon-to-be psychology major, for one of our many deep conversations. We were unpacking an incident from earlier that day when she casually dropped a term that made me pause: hindsight bias.
She explained it as the "knew-it-all-along" effect—the tendency to believe we could have predicted an outcome after it has already happened. In other words, we trick ourselves into thinking we saw it coming when, in reality, we didn’t.
Her words hit differently because, just hours before, I had been sitting at the funeral of a dear friend, reflecting on my own life in real time. The weight of loss has a way of sharpening perspective. As I sat there, I saw my journey—the highs, the heartbreaks, the lessons—through the lens of God’s redemptive plan. Romans 8:38 reminds us that nothing, not even the hardest moments, can separate us from the love and purpose of God.
But this idea of hindsight bias—of thinking we should have known—extends far beyond our personal lives. It’s woven into society, culture, and even religion. I’ve often judged past decisions based on present knowledge. Politicians, leaders, and even everyday people are criticized with the benefit of hindsight. “They should have known better.” “We saw this coming.” Whether it’s an economic crisis, social movement, or a major event, we rewrite history in our minds as if the outcome was obvious all along. But was it?
Society thrives on retrospective judgment, yet true progress comes from acknowledging what we didn’t know and learning from it. Instead of blaming or assuming inevitability, we grow when we embrace the lessons. Culturally, we see hindsight bias play out in how we understand movements and historical shifts. Civil rights, women’s rights, technological revolutions—looking back, it’s easy to say, “Of course this was going to happen.” But in the moment, change is never certain. It is fought for, doubted, and resisted.
We often don’t recognize the value of cultural moments until they become memories. Just as people once underestimated the significance of Rosa Parks taking a seat or the Berlin Wall falling, we may be living in a moment right now that future generations will look back on as history in the making. The challenge is to be present enough to see it before hindsight sets in.
Faith teaches us to trust without always seeing the full picture. Scripture reminds us that God works all things together for good (Romans 8:28), and from a biblical perspective, hindsight bias is nothing new. The Israelites, after escaping Egypt, often doubted God’s plan. Later, they looked back and saw His faithfulness, but in real time, they struggled with fear and uncertainty. Peter denied Jesus three times, only to later realize how blind he had been to the bigger picture.
Faith calls us to recognize the significance of moments while we’re still in them—not just when they become history. So how do we live with greater awareness? How do we stop waiting for hindsight to tell us what was valuable?
Pause and reflect. Instead of rushing past moments, ask: What is this teaching me right now?
Resist the urge to judge the past too harshly. Whether it’s your own mistakes or the world’s history, remember that no one sees the full picture in real time.
Trust the process. What feels like confusion now may become clarity later. Live with faith that even the uncertain moments have purpose.
As I sat at that funeral, I wasn’t just mourning a loss—I was witnessing my own life unfolding. I saw the hand of God in places I once questioned. And in that moment, I realized: sometimes, we will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory. I used to ask, why did this happen? —as if knowing the answer would somehow ease the pain or make sense of the chaos. But now, I ask, what can I learn? Because every challenge, every unexpected turn, and every loss shapes who we are. Sharing our stories helps not just ourselves but those around us who might be struggling to see purpose in their own pain.
So today, I encourage you: Pay attention to the moments. There’s a power in perspective when we allow moments to become memories. They may not make sense now, but one day, they’ll become the memories that shape your story. And when that time comes, may you look back not with hindsight bias, but with gratitude for how far you’ve come. But if we open our eyes, we just might recognize it before then.
Your worst enemy sometimes can be your own memory.
