Autism

This saying actually means the opposite of what you think it does. "Missing the forest" in this context means to ignore it. So the saying is more about not being able to see the big picture because you're too caught up in a single tree.

Hopefully this can help mitigate some of the iritation the saying has for you.

What the saying is trying to convey:

Sometimes people focus on a few small details of some problem to such a great degree that they completely fail to consider the larger context and purpose.

It isn't trying to say details are unimportant. Only that the larger context matters and should be considered while investigating the details of a problem.

I am trying to think of a good example. The one I found online is something like, "the senator was so focused on the wording of one subsection of the bill he didn't stop to consider the bill was too unpopular to ever pass regardless of the wording".

Ok how about this. Let's say a company is to unify access control across disparate systems. The overarching goal is to be able to set policy in one place not in each individual application.

A team is in the process of evaluating a candidate product. They want to complete the evaluation in a set time frame and focus on a particular scenario (web app, specific tech stack) for a proof of concept that isn't representative of many of the typical scenarios in the company (web, database, API, etc).

The team spends their time focused on getting the evaluation done and discovers the product doesn't integrate as well as originally expected with a key system. They focus on coming up with a solution so they can complete the proof of concept.

They consider their efforts a success when they finish up the eval on time.

But the evaluation wasn't useful because it didn't really consider the overarching project goals and in the end the solution didn't even meet those goals!

Hope this helps.

I think the saying is about not losing sight of the big picture while focusing on the details. I think you may focus on the trees and the animals and the mushrooms. But you should also see the whole and the interplay between the individual parts. Presumably.

That's literally what the saying means, dude. When you "miss the forest to see the trees" it means you're focusing on one small aspect of a larger picture. You're not seeing the details because you're preoccupied with looking at something obvious.

I’ve found that, as an autistic person, I tend to interpret things deeply and with confidence quickly.

This often leads to me interpreting and then getting upset about specific messages people are sending, and being wrong about those messages.

What do you think the saying means?

I know some people at work who use it simply cause they know it, but it never translates to anything of value from them. They just say it, amd say it, amd say it. So annoying.

It's also occasionally lobbed at me as a criticism from losers who clearly are jealous at my attention to detail.

That saying really bothers me too, but mainly because I'm always hearing it. For example, programming is often really difficult for me because I have a hard time thinking about the big picture, and I struggle to break the task down into parts that work together. I often get too hung up on small details.

Don't get me started on "have your cake and eat it too"

I wish everyone could experience the same joy I get from all the small things.

I feel you, man. I am definitely commiserating.

I'm all forests and leaves; no trees in sight