Cheewit.net: HOW DO YOU SEE?

Labels: THE MIND

On the last day of our school term this year, as is the tradition, a guest speaker was invited from England to attend our Speech Day and give an address to the students, teachers and guests. This man was nearly 70 years old. When he hobbled to the grand stage, dressed in his dapper English gentrified garb, there were many rumblings, mumblings and grumblings from the generally and relatively young audience to effect of, ‘What’s this old codger got to say of any relevance to us?’ I must admit that, unfortunately, and against my better judgment, I’d allowed this negative thought to entertain me for a while, too. In fact, ever since the Headmaster had announced that his colleague from England, who’d worked continuously at the same school for 50 years and was a PhD graduate of Oxford University, was to give the Guests’ Address, I knew that the speech would go only one of two ways. One, it would be as dry as a camel’s backside in a sand storm, and have about as much relevance as a dessert trolley at Slimmer’s Celebration Supper; or two, it would be outstanding in every respect and leave a lasting impression on students, teachers and guests. Well, needless to say, thankfully, it was the latter…

I SEE

His address was based partly on the treasure that is education (which will form the basis of a future post), and more fully on two words and their profound meanings and implications for understanding ourselves and others, and improving the quality of our lives – he was talking about the overused and over-ignored words, ‘I see…’

How many times in your life have you said, ‘I see…’? I’m guessing that, like me, it’s more than you can remember! But have you ever stopped to think about what you are saying? What does it really mean? And how many different meanings are there? We often use words and phrases subconsciously without reflecting upon their true meanings and functions, so let’s examine in more detail what we are actually saying and what implications it has for our understanding of ourselves and others, and the world around us.

The good doctor started his exploration of the duo by asking the audience how many sets of eyes we each have. Various little hands went up in the audience as students replied with the most obvious answer: one set, a pair. He congratulated them on their observations, but indicated that they hadn’t yet supplied the full answer; the answer he offered, is three sets.

THREE PAIRS

Think about it again: how many times have you said ‘I see…’, but not truly, wholly seen? Well, it is easy to drop cursory, cohesive, surface-level utterances of comprehension, but it is infinitely more difficult to truly see anything beyond the literal unless we sharpen our minds to acknowledge and comprehend every dimension of every moment that we experience; that’s the hard part – a skill that I, as well as you, am still struggling to perfect!

He went on to explain that the most obvious usage of ‘I see…’ is when we refer to the act of literally seeing each other – ‘I see you, and you see me.’ These he referred to as the eyes of the head. Of course, we see and interpret literal things in literal ways in order to function in the physical dimensions of this world. This, he referred to as the eyes of the head. Firstly, we understand by physically and literally seeing.

However, there are two more pairs of eyes that allow us to ‘see’ in non-literal ways. We often say ‘I see…’ when we empathize with someone. For example, if a friend told you that he couldn’t meet you for lunch because his mother had fallen and hurt her hip, and needed to be escorted to hospital, you may reply, ‘I see…’. This, he referred to as the second pair of eyes, the eyes of the heart. Most of us are able, to varying extents, to ‘see’ into the emotional dimensions of our friends’ and loved ones’ lives. Secondly, we understand by mentally feeling.

The third pair of eyes is the eyes of the imagination. If, for example, someone was to explain to you how to reply to this post on this blog, you may reply ‘I see…’ (Hopefully, you wouldn’t reply, ‘Why on Earth would I want to do that?’…!) This response would indicate that, thirdly, you understand by thinking. This pair of eyes he called the eyes of the mind.

The doctor summed up by explaining that for each of us to realise our full potential, we must cultivate our skills in the three areas mentioned; literal, emotional, and theoretical: seeing by seeing, seeing by feeling, seeing by thinking. We must sharpen our ‘vision’ and be acutely aware of what it truly means to ‘see’.

WINNING THE BATTLE

So, how can this impact on our lives beyond a rather academic contemplation of our actions? Well, I resume that as you have arrived at this blog and are still reading (!), you have decided to embark on a mission to improve the quality of your life and make yourself happier. There is obviously some kind of conflict that you need to resolve, which is perfectly natural and, in my opinion, something positive and constructive. Therefore, you have a metaphorical mountain to climb, a question to answer, a problem to solve, or an ‘enemy’ (negative thinking, negative/damaging habits, unwholesome actions/thoughts – whatever has made you decide to change) to conquer. In order to conquer this enemy, you must employ some kind of strategy: first, you must arrive at an understanding of what is wrong. You have probably already done that, or are in the process of doing so right now. After that, you need to ‘see’ clearly on all levels and accept reality for what it is (an illusion). From there you can begin to develop your mental vision (understanding through feeling and thinking) in order to conquer whatever it is that you have ‘seen’ to be wrong. By doing so, you will develop the three ways of truly seeing, and attain what the doctor mentioned is the ultimate reward for this endeavor: independent but informed, wholesome and holistic thinking.

Finally, in the words of Julius Caesar: Vēnī, vīdī, vīcī: I came, I saw, I conquered. Most of us haven’t even arrived yet – so, be thankful that you have, and look forward to beginning to see things more clearly! Do you see?