I-SIGHT… Ur-LENS
You and I don’t have a 20/20 vision. We both have poor eyesight. While I wear correctional eyeglasses you prefer contact lenses. What I see as peach camellia from a distance, you see it as pink rose. Though we switch our correctional lenses, it’s never going to correct what we thought is each other’s faulty vision. My lens correct my eyesight… your lens correct yours. What works for me won’t necessarily work for you. The same nearsightedness, the eye doctor gave different prescriptions.
The world according to each one of us… optically different. We view the universe through varying lens. Where I see light and feel warmth, you perceive gloom and sense coldness. I cannot say that my sight is better than yours nor your sight better than mine. We’re simply different. Unique in our own special way. We could be farsighted, nearsighted or have a perfect vision. No matter. Certain things are observed through different eyes. Children see things as things appear to be — good, bad but not in-between; and black, white but never gray. They have an uncomplicated view of the world. This makes it easy for them to find joy where adults see none. They laugh heartily, trust so completely, and love whole-heartedly… unconditionally. They are awed by the smallest phenomenon such as the flutter of a bird’s or butterfly’s wings or the wagging of a cat’s tail. They could teach us the art of happiness, search for joy in easy places like within the range of our vision and not outside our field of vision.
If adults could learn not to filter the lenses which they view the universe, keep it unhampered like kids do, life could be simpler, untainted. But no, we don’t take things as they appear to be. A stranger’s cordiality, an acquaintance’s kindness, or someone’s generosity are often met with indifference, suspicion and distrust. Hard years had turned some of us cynical. Holding people at arm’s length, approaching our relationships half-way, and seeing an ulterior motive in anyone’s goodness keep us from the joy we should be experiencing. It keeps us from loving, robbing us of so many wonderful moments. Our distorted views keep us from seeing real beauty, depriving us of the true colors of love.
When my son, Jus, was about three years old I’d encourage him to draw. Armed with a bunch of paper and countless crayons, he’d ecstatically get to work… doodle, actually. After he’s done with a piece of art I’d ask what he had just drawn and his answer would then be (exactly as he uttered it) the title I’d scribble on the paper. One particular “masterpiece” is the “Pantayi Ng Chicken”. Pantayi is his baby word for pantali — Tagalog term for string. The chicken string is a kaleidoscope of interlocking waves, curls and circles. Mere doodles to unimaginative adults. But to my child’s eyes that was a chicken string. Other artworks are “Showers” –colorful vertical lines; “Two Hands” is a picture of his traced hands, “Me Shell”… There’s so much beauty in my child’s mind’s eye. My I-sight basked in it. Twelve years later, Jus still delights in his works of art as I had them compiled in a scrap book.
It matters not when we’re looking at the same picture and I see a peach camellia while your lens give you a pink rose. What counts? It is when we both see beauty in that same thing. It’s not important who is right. Truth is in our eyes. Not in front of. We only need to agree to disagree when our visions play tricks on us. We can always use our hearts to see when our eyes fail us. Trusting that when we see with our hearts… we can never go wrong.
*published in True Friends Newsmag (May 2008 issue; volume4,no.10)
