New Eyes?

I listened to a Show on NPR talking about seeing and not seeing. “They do research on something called inattentional blindness, or how people fail to see things that are directly in front of them when they're focused on something else.” Here are results of their study.

What I’m discussing is something a little different. I’m talking about seeing something so often you no longer “see” it. I’m speaking of the blindness that comes from familiarity. Losing sight of what you’ve become so used to seeing that it no longer presses against you and captures your attentiveness. When we first moved to these mountains of Western North Carolina, I remember driving up from our home near Atlanta and coaching myself. “Don’t ever take this for granted, I’d say.” “Don’t ever fail to see how glorious, how awesome, how spectacular this is.” That was 10 years or so ago.

Recently, I had a visit from a dear friend from Wisconsin. Since they were unfamiliar with the area and we live pretty far off the main road, I went to meet them and have them follow me in to our home. On that drive back in, I imagined what it must look like to them and realized I have slipped into the syndrome. I have become blind to my surroundings. The fire tower of Albert Mountain is visible as one drives into our valley. It sits atop the mountain peak every single day yet, I confess, there are many days I miss it. And in the surrounding fields and woods, there are many more treasures I fail to take note of because I’m so used to them being there.

So, how does one address this issue of blindness? This deadening of the wonder that lies right in front of our eyes every single day? The loss of appreciation that goes along with the consistent presence of someone or something? How does this happen? A long time ago, I learned from a Psychology class that human beings are taking in such vast amounts of data from the world around them that the only way to cope is to develop automatic pigeon holing techniques. Some would call this stereotyping. You see something or someone for a fleeting moment and decide where it or they belong in the storehouse of your brain. We do this so we no longer have to deal with it. We do this because it is simply not possible for us to be attentive to every single detail we are encountering. It is necessary on one level to do so. But, what happens when we do it with everyone and everything? It’s as if we shut off life. Bar the doors and batten down the hatches, here comes life!!

I have no answer for this. Its something I am currently contemplating and grappling with. I’ve been married to the same man for 25 years and I confess, I no longer see him a major part of the time. I have “pigeon-holed” him into a spot I’m familiar with. I am a photographer who loves to take pictures of the flowers blooming in my garden and the landscapes I see around me. The problem is, once I’ve taken the photo, it feels as if there’s no longer any need to explore it further. I’ve pigeon-holed the image and essentially abandoned it. “Been there, done that, is the creed.” In an attempt to change this, I am focusing on myself and my thoughts and feelings more actively than I have in the past as a roadmap to being more here more of the time. Seeing someone or something involves so much more than eyes. It has to do with connection and presence and being in the present moment with all your faculties. It has to do with developing “new eyes”, I believe. As a photographer, I realize that the reason so many pros take trips to “exotic” lands is for the purpose of seeing things with fresh eyes. I completely understand that. But how does one develop “new eyes” for seeing what’s right in front of them? I'd love to hear what you have to say about this.