Now You See It

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”  
   -Henry David Thoreau


Whenever you have a bunch of people looking at the same thing regardless of what it may be, there are always various conflicting viewpoints about the sight or object being examined. This is a perfect demonstration of perspective and how every individual’s differs. I’m sure everyone is familiar with or has at least experienced this at some point in their lives.

The word “perspective” actually has various definitions as many words do in today’s society. According to dictionary.com a very broad one is listed as, “ the state of existing in space before the eye,” but the definition that relates to this quote is a much deeper one. It is listed as, “the state of one’s ideas, the facts known to one, etc. in having a meaningful interrelationship.”  Looking closely and carefully at anything brings to mind its meaning whether consciously or unconsciously, and for each and every person this can be something different. Their thoughts can take the back to the past, right where they are currently or in the present, and may even provide some insight to their future. This quote also reminds me of another quote.

That quote is, “the eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.” Both of these quotes are very true, at least for me they are. This one illustrates the occurrence of looking at something once and then looking at it again and seeing something new that you did not notice before. So many times we are quick to make judgments about things because unfortunately that happens to be human nature. If we give it a little time, then we often surprise ourselves with creative thoughts. The ability to see is one that we often take for granted. Let’s try to appreciate it more often because it truly is a wonderful gift.