During a visit to John Ruskin's home at Brantwood, Cumbria, I saw this quote by him on what it means to truly see.
Photo: Kathy Roscoe taken at Brantwood, Cumbria
Every moment we are awake, our eyes are open. We see the people and things around us and the events of the day unfold in front of our eyes. We look out of the window, at the faces of others, at TV screens, the sky, the street. We say we saw a friend, the neighbourhood, the park, or the people walking past us. The question is- do we see these things or are we just looking at them? Are they merely images, be they human or otherwise, that pass before our eyes and register in our brain?
From time to time in our lives, something will happen and we find ourselves saying things like, "I did'n see it like that before," or " I see him/her in a whole new light." These expressions imply that we are now seeing something we thought familiar in a clearer and deeper way. Up to that point, we were seeing someone or something in a superficial way. We saw the surface and mistook that for the totality of the person or thing. We failed to see that there was more. To truly see, we must take our time and give our full attention. then we might see things as they really are.
If we saw other people and other creatures as they are - their true essence and their reality - we might be more compassionate and see the miracle that is life. We might treat others and the earth in a new way and create a better and kinder world.
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