arne grønSomething can come up on the horizon that we did not see before. We
know that there are limits to what we see. We are seeing within a
horizon.
Metaphorically speaking, we can look out into a future that is more
or less open. As we always see within a horizon, we live within a
horizon. Suddenly something comes up “on the horizon.” Something
happens to us which opens up new possibilities, or changes what we
took to be our possibilities.
What does this mean: “within” our horizon? Horizon means that
there are limits to what we see and experience, but something also
comes up “on” the horizon, even possibilities of changing our lives.
Still, we are seeing and living within a horizon. We understand the
world within a horizon: taking the world to be.... What can come
up on the horizon depends on where we stand and in which direction
we look. Horizon has to do with the history we embody, what we carry
along, and the way we do so. Our ways of relating are embodied. In
relating, we are ourselves situated. Thus, our horizon is an index of our
finitude.
Yet, our horizon is also more or less open. Something unexpected
can happen. This is precisely part of our finitude. Although we look
into the future, we cannot foresee what will come. At least, we will
have to wait and see whether it will be as we expect. We will have to
experience what happens. The finitude implied in talking about
horizon has to do with the fact that we do not know what will come
up within our horizon. We can expect and anticipate, but still it is a
matter of experiencing what comes up.
How then should we understand this: “within” our horizon? If
horizon is taken in terms of what we expect, it appears to be a horizon
of familiarity. But if what I have just said is right, what is within our
horizon is not simply familiar to us. Rather, the question is whether
what comes up “on the horizon” will be familiar to us. The question of
familiarity itself can arise or come up within our horizon. It might even
happen that what we thought was familiar to us turns out not to be
so. Familiarity can be questioned. We can come to ask ourselves: do
we actually understand what we think we understand? Things can
change so dramatically that what we thought we understood appears
to be beyond understanding.