An interesting concept that came up tonight during an intense LOST-related discussion: are you a detail oriented person or a big picture person? Do you have to choose? My instinct is that many people feel at least a slight tug one way or the other. I suppose there could be those who are smack in the middle as well. My father would probably prefer not to label anyone as either one, as one's detail or big picture "orientedness" most likely varies from situation to situation.
Nonetheless, I get the feeling there are many of us who identify or lean toward one inclination or way of thinking than the alternatives. I think there are people who are highly detail oriented and are adept at dealing with all the tiny pieces of the bigger puzzle, but at some point they may get swept away and lost in the details (thus this post's title--also, I just like that expression). On the other hand, there are those who are extremely focused on big pictures and overarching ideas, and they may come face to face with contradictory or outlying details that derail their theories and cause them to reevaluate and reconstruct.
To some extent, and in order to successfully tackle more complex analysis, one must incorporate both details and a larger "take home idea." After all, a big picture without details is bereft of color, meaning, and basis, while a collection of details without a theme tying them together will lack deeper substantive value and may result in a random, somewhat meaningless assortment of facts (note that both extreme cases result in loss of deeper meaning). Thus, more informative and precise analysis requires the ability to hold large and small scale ideas or data in one's head simultaneously. One must also be able to switch back and forth between details and big pictures as is convenient to create a coherent, more profound thought.
Is this a coherent thought? I'm not sure--I may be spending too much time frolicking among the trees as we speak.
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