Those Lying Eyes

Some people labor under the misconception that we communicate most effectively on the visual plane, but your eyes will lie to you! Have you ever looked at one of those hidden image posters which were so popular in the 90’s? You could look at it for hours an see only the upper image, but if you turned your eyes to the side you could see an entirely different image. Our eyes are trained by years of experience to see what we expect them to see. This is why writers use editors to find mystakes in their typing; mistackes which are invisible to them because they expect to see certain words a certain way, and the eye does not discern the error.

This is a truth which goes much deeper than writing: it goes to the very core of everyday life. We see what we expect to see because our mind is operating in a default setting. When we become aware of our lives, I mean really aware of what we are thinking, how we are speaking, why we assume certain things, our eyes will come along for the ride too, picking up things which were always there, but invisible to us previously.

When I am listening to a speaker I often close my eyes to eliminate the distraction of their clothes, the background, what others are doing around me. In closing my eyes I can focus completely upon the message without visual distraction.

I treasure the gift my sight is to me, yet I remain conscious my eyes will lie to me if I allow my expectations to guide what I am seeing.