Being human means there are some things I will never be able to comprehend. Whether it is the frequency range my ears allow me to hear, or the colors and shapes I can see with my eyes, my biological makeup denies me the perception of a lot of things.
For example, the planets of the universe. Looking up from earth, I can’t even see them during the day, and at night they look like sparkling little stars in the sky. If my eyes had the capabilities of a telescope and allowed me to zoom in on Mars and Jupiter, not only would I be able to see them in the daytime, I would also realize that they don’t actually sparkle.
That almost has the making of an optical illusion. Like this one:
The horizontal gray lines don’t look straight. In fact, the whole diagram seems crooked since the black and white rectangles are not in line but slightly shifted – some to the right, some to the left. And if I slide the image up and down, the shapes even appear to be moving. And yet the horizontal lines between the rectangles are completely level and the picture is static.
So, how do I know what I see is how it really is? In particular, with regard to the fact that my sense of reality is not just subject to my biological makeup, but to all kinds of other factors. Take for example my environment, my upbringing, and my culture – just to name a few.
For instance, raised in the Western world, I might pity indigenous people for what I would consider their sparse and deprived living conditions. My background will not allow me to see, let alone appreciate, their environmentally sound connection with nature, their deep contentment, the closeness and compassion they share among each other, and, last but not least, the wholesome lack of media bombardment.
The realization that my values, beliefs, and conditioning determine how I see things – or that I don’t see them at all – makes me wonder what else I cannot see clearly or in its entirety.
Interestingly, this insight actually comes as a relief. It’s like a weight being lifted off my shoulders.
I do not have to know, or see, or understand everything.
No one knows, sees, or understands everything.
It’s impossible.
Not only is it impossible but whenever I think I know something, it’s probably a good idea to at least bear in mind that I might only perceive what I am able to perceive. Like with the solar system: During the day I can’t see it at all. At night it appears to be made of similar looking, sparkling stars. And with a telescope it emerges as significantly varying planets, moons, asteroids and comets.
That adds a whole new dimension to the expression “having blinders on.” I mean, when am I not wearing them?! 😂
Brigitte Schneider
aka Ms. What-Do-You-Know?
Copyright © 2021, Brigitte Schneider. If you wish to quote text from this article contact the author by leaving a comment.
