A New Outlook on Life... (17 September 2009)
William Blake said, “The altering eye, alters all.” There’s nothing like an altered eye to persuade one of the truth of that perspective.
About a year ago, my optometrist discovered the beginning of a cataract in my right eye. Over time, my vision increasingly became fuzzy and dim. Because the change was gradual, however, I adjusted on a daily basis without being aware of what—and how much—I was missing. By the time I was checked by the ophthalmologist (Dr. John Trittschuh of Eye Care Physicians in Kalamazoo, Michigan), I had a fairly large cataract in my right eye and a smaller one in my left. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, cataract surgery is among the most common surgical procedures in the U.S., so I had to get in line and wait for my turn. While I was waiting, my vision continued to deteriorate. Driving at night was out of the question, and even in the light of day I had trouble reading street signs. I knew that I was missing something, but I didn’t recognize how much. That is a common problem with anything that develops over time. We adjust along the way. The common metaphor is that a frog put in hot water will jump out, but a frog put in cold water that is gradually heated to boiling will stay in the water until cooked. The metaphor isn’t true for frogs (frogs may be amphibians, but they know what isn’t good for them), but it applies to much of life. People will continue to wear shoes that are becoming increasingly uncomfortable, and they will continue to sleep on mattresses that have grown lumpy over time.
Also, the chances are good that you know somebody who is in a relationship that has deteriorated over time. The couple may have started their relationship with blissful feelings toward one another, but as the years went by, they increasingly found fault with each other until they were spending most of their time bickering. Because the deterioration in civility and loving affection declined gradually over time, they failed to notice that—metaphorically speaking—they were in hot water.
In the physical realm, with both hearing and vision, when loss of sensory acuity occurs, it happens gradually over time. We simply don’t know that we aren’t hearing or seeing everything we should be or could be. Unless you are really young or highly unusual, for example, if you blow on a dog whistle, you won’t hear the sound that is clearly audible to a young, healthy dog. As the dog ages, it will no longer hear the sound, either.
By the time my day for the surgery on my right eye arrived, I was more than ready to have the cataract removed and a new lens inserted. I knew that I would see better afterwards. I was, however, not prepared for the difference it would make. As I was still groggy from the Versed I received for the surgery and had a pinhole shield over my eye, Debra drove me home following the surgery. Even through the little holes in the shield, I knew that my vision was better than it had been in a long time. As exciting as that was, however, the Versed proved stronger than my desire to spend time just looking. I slept most of the rest of the day.
The following day, I had my post-op exam, and the shield was removed. That’s when I started becoming aware of how much I had been missing. The second surgery, for the left eye, took place two weeks later. Having two good eyes able to see things as they are makes a big difference psychologically as well. Not seeing clearly takes a lot of energy, which is suddenly available for other things when your vision is corrected. It is a wonderful feeling, for example, to be able to read street signs while driving. Even the truly mundane, such as watching TV, requires less energy when you can read the news ticker that scrolls along the bottom of the screen or the football scores when they appear following a play.
The same concept also applies when the distorted vision is psychological rather than physical. What you are missing, what you are not seeing clearly, takes energy that could otherwise be spent on other things. Have your shoes or mattress become uncomfortable over time? What about your job or your relationships? It’s one thing, of course, to decide to buy new shoes or a new mattress and something else to change jobs or relationships. Perhaps it’s an attitude or behavioral pattern that needs to be seen more clearly and changed appropriately. Because everyone has something that needs to be re-examined in the light of a new perspective, it’s just a matter of looking with an “altered eye” and asking the question, “What if...?”
You may find that minor adjustments in the way you are seeing, hearing, feeling, and otherwise perceiving some aspects of your current situation will free a lot of energy for your becoming the person you were meant to be.
joel@scs-matters.com
www.scs-matters.com
