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Real Answers™
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Copyright: ©2009 Linda Downing
620 words

SEEING WE DON'T SEE

By: Linda Downing

Even when people stare at the same scene or situation, our differing perceptions make us wonder if we are of like species. Let’s face it. Sometimes we scoff at what others hold dear.       

No matter how hard we try, some of us cannot see the Virgin Mary in the stump of a recently cut tree. Yet thousands of Irish Catholics are traveling to St. Mary’s parish in the village of Rathkeale to view what they believe a holy phenomenon. 

Perceptions reveal who we are. Jesus liked to repeat an Old Testament warning from Isaiah 6:9. “This is the reason that I speak to them in parables, because having the power of seeing they do not see, and having the power of hearing they do not hear, nor do they grasp and understand” (Matthew 13:13 Amplified Bible). He knew there is much to learn in our stories. 

Forty years ago on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong first moonwalked. Sen. John McCain, a POW in North Vietnam, knew nothing of it. When he found out, he was “boosted by the optimism of unlimited possibilities.” In “The Day The Earth Stood Still,” Dennis McCafferty captured McCain’s perspective along with others (USA Weekend, July 10-12, 2009). Neil Tyson, a well-known scientist now, was only ten years old then. For him, the Apollo mission meant the unlocking of greater adventures ahead. Newsman Bob Schieffer celebrated America as No. 1 again.

And I, a struggling college student, balancing the care of a two-year-old with studies and work, did not comprehend the moment, rendering 30 seconds awe and no thought at all. Seeing I didn’t see; hearing I didn’t hear.

Failure or opportunity depends on vision. Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., needed dorms for Fall 2009. Capitol Cove development was stuck with empty condos. They signed a three-year-lease. Other universities are catching on, offering students yearly rents and comparable on-campus prices. It is an arrangement good for all parties. Why accept empty when we could be full?

We are often unaware of what influences us. In the online journal Science (November 2008) Dutch researchers shared findings indicating surroundings affect behavior. Bicyclists parked in a well-kept alley bearing a no-littering sign on the wall. To the bicycle handlebars, the investigators attached fliers advertising a non-existent store. They noted 33 percent of the riders tossed them on the ground. After they marred the wall with graffiti, the litterers increased to 69 percent.   

Unawareness spells danger. People hit objects and even fall while texting. The Tampa Tribune’s front-page comment: “The more electronically plugged in people become, the more likely it is that they literally will collide with the real world” (5/30/09). And in the  real world, the bulls run again in Pamplona, Spain. Humans joining them, envisioning adrenalin highs and fame, are forever surprised at gorings and deaths. 

Façade masks reality. FEAR could be an acronym for False Evidence Appearing Real. Those stepping onto the 1,353 feet high balconies of the Sears Tower in Chicago feel they are standing on nothing. Actually, the glass floor is substantial. Right perception, the kind of “seeing” and “hearing” Jesus spoke of, makes us want to see more.                                                       

An anonymous story illustrates. One cold February day a snail started climbing an apple tree. As he inched slowly upward, a worm stuck its head from a crevice in the bark to offer some advice. “You’re wasting your energy. There isn’t a single apple up there.” The snail kept up his slow climb. “There will be when I get there,” he said.

Ah, I think I see more clearly now. Real “seeing” takes time.            

Linda Downing, a contributor to the Amy Internet Syndicate, writes “Side-By-Side: Seeking Simple Truth,” a weekly column for Highlands Today of The Tampa Tribune.   "Real Answers™" furnished courtesy of The Amy Foundation Internet Syndicate. To contact the author or The Amy Foundation, write or E-mail to: P. O. Box 16091, Lansing, MI 48901-6091; amyfoundtn@aol.com

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