Not So Blind

Thinking about the days of yet another week that has flown by, the movie in my mind came to a stop where I was stopped at a red traffic light.  I was on my way into work, listening to a CD that repeats itself daily, and generally thinking about…heaven only knows…I started to pull forward into the intersection to make the right hand turn.  I had seen that it was safe to do so as there was no oncoming traffic, when out of the blue I saw a blind man just in front of me, whom I almost struck – had the blind man not seen me and stopped, I surely would have struck him.

I, with “eyes to see” saw not; he with ears to hear heard and was able to preserve himself from being struck by the blind woman behind the wheel of the car.

Ezekiel 12:2 “Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.

Matthew 13:3 This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

1 Peter 1:8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,

That scripture popped full blown into my mind eradicating all other segments of the movie that had been playing in my head; “They have eyes but see not, ears but hear not.” And the Truth of those (previously just words) came to life in me.

Although I have driven the same route to work any number of times, if you ask me what or whom I’d passed along the way; as this is spring, which trees had blossomed and begun to lose their blossoms, I could not tell you; I would not be able to tell you the what or whom I’d seen along the drive into work.

Like most of my life, it was a routine that my body robotically went through, day in and day out.  Just like this past six days of the week, I cannot tell you what most of them held for me; what I’d seen or heard during that week.  I have no doubt I’d be able to relate in great detail the perceived offences of other people – yet they are but perceived and not real.  I saw what wasn’t there and did not see what was there.

The blind man surely was not so blind, whereas I with eyes to see am blind.

I’ve often heard it said that when one of our five senses has been removed or simply does not function, then we are gifted and strengthened in one of the remaining four senses.  This example of the blind man without physical example tells me that this is true, because something allowed him to know that if he took another step he would be in trouble.  He listened to his inner person without hesitation and thus saved himself from injury.

We are told and in reflecting on my own life I can say that it is true, that in every situation that we see as being a “bad” thing, you will indeed find a “good” thing and you are given that gift, to take you to the next level of your growth.  The blind man, when he lost his sight, how did he take it?  We know how he is now about the loss of sight, but how did he take it when it was taken away from him?  I cannot tell you and can only surmise, using myself as an example.

If my physical sight was removed from me, my initial reaction is to say that I would lose absolutely everything that involved being able to see; that I would not longer be able to:

• Write this blog
• See the stars, sky, flowers, sun, moon
• Get a job
• Read
• Differentiate between day and night – because all would be darkness to me
• Be able to move about without being in danger
• (don’t laugh) be able to put on my makeup
• Be able to cook

I had to close my eyes for a bit, just to come up with the above list.  It took some doing because I do not think about the very fact that I can see, and what it is I use my physical sight to see.

Now, let’s take the above list and opposite it try and fill in the positive or a possible way to remove the “cannots” from those statements, seeing the “cans”:

Cannot	Can
Write this blog	Write using brail and writer a deeper more meaningful blog due to the forced requirement to look internally in order to see what was to be said, to hear See the stars, sky, flowers, sun, moon Hear better; hear the wind as it blew, even if ever so gently, feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, get into the skin of the petal of a flower as I caressed it with the touch of my fingers, possibly hear the clouds overhead as they floated blocking the sun or the moon Get a job There are a lot of things people without sight can do.  I love to read and write, and perhaps instead of being slaved to a job that did not nourish my soul by allowing me to do that which I love, I would spend more time writing – get a job as a writer Read Read using the touch of my fingers, by brail Differentiate between day and night – because all would be darkness to me My sense of hearing would be enhanced because of the need to concentrate; my mind would become more alive with the imagining of what was out there; perhaps the light of my soul painting the picture for me Be able to move about without being in danger Even with sight, when I move about I am always “in danger”; perhaps I would be less in danger because of the forced necessity of having to concentrate and “be in the moment” not in the movie of my mind replaying yesterday’s events Be able to put on my make-up I have no doubt that my sense of touch would be enhanced, or at least seem to be enhanced, because I would be forced to real “feel myself, my skin” in order to accomplish the task; for the first time ever having to feel and in so doing I see the touch as a loving caress My sense of self and wonder would come alive ***Better still, perhaps I would stop putting on makeup!  What does it do, what is its purpose – to “cover up” my perceived flaws; to enhance the perfection in which I was created?  I would be forced to look internally, to see my inner beauty, to allow my inner beauty to come forth and shine outwardly, brightly, glowingly! Be able to cook Likely cook even better because today as I cook, I determine when it is just right by the aroma or smell My sense of smell would need to become more in the forefront and by constant use, would be enhanced

***After adding this last bit, I read the following from a book by [1]John O’Donohue:

“Only in solitude can you discover a sense of your own beauty.  The Divine Artists sent no-one here without the depth and light of divine beauty.  This beauty is frequently concealed behind the dull façade of routine.  Only in your solitude will you come upon your own beauty. … There is a deep beauty within each person.  Modern culture is obsessed with cosmetic perfection.  Beauty is standardized; it has become another product for sale.  In its real sense, beauty is the illumination of your soul.”

Now, if that isn’t a confirmation of what I wrote in the section about not being able to put my makeup on because I was physically blind – what I would gain, then what in heaven’s name would be?  I came across this in O’Donohue’s book some four hours after writing this article.

Being unable to see, I have no doubt that my intuition would play a greater part in my ability to function on a day-to-day basis, and that it would be strengthened and I would come to rely on it more and more, and would have faith that what I was doing was the right thing to do.  I would trust in myself more, my inner self that would become my outer guide allowing me to live in safety.

Not so blind, I now see that this man who has lost his physical sight has likely gained all of the above and so much more – has been given eyes to see what I with eyes to see but see not do not have – because I do not use them to see, but perfunctorily use them to look.

When I look at you do I see you or do I see the reflection of what is going on in my mind?

When the blind man gazed at me, I have no doubt he saw me, saw that I wasn’t even there – mentally – that my mind was either in the past or scanning the future.

He was not so blind, whereas I, well you might say and I might say I was not blind, but in all honestly I was totally blind and oblivious to the moment that I was in; in total darkness

---

[1] Spiritual Wisdom from the Celtic World, O’Donohue, John pp 135-6