On Blindness

What do you think of when you see the word “blind”? I’m guessing you immediately think of a person with a visual impairment.

What do you see in front of you, right now? Around you? In your room? Everything, of course.

We depend on our sight so completely that we unconsciously, perceive our vision to be the entirety of existence. The center of the world. You are acutely aware of what’s in your field of vision, yet how often do you think of what’s outside of it? If you’re like me, then almost never.

In taking an inverted view, we humbly accept that we are blind to everything but the sliver of reality within our field of vision. From this vantage, we can ask ourselves what else we might be blindly oblivious to.

Are you blind to your emotions? How are you feeling right now? What emotions are they? Where did they come from?

Are you blind to others? Do you struggle to empathize with them?

Are you blind to the past? Do you repeat previous mistakes?

Are you blind to your habits? What thoughts and actions do you unconsciously repeat?

What else are you blind to?