No two people see things the same way
Just stop and think of your partner, spouse, child, family member, etc. The diversity of ideas and opinions are staggering even among those closest to you. That’s only natural because…
“We don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are.”
Anais Nin
We each see the world from different sets of eyes or lenses (an individual worldview shaped by many factors) that lead to a different point of view.
The following story of the blind men and the elephant is found in Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Sufi texts and provide a perfect illustration of this.
The blind men and the elephant
A group of blind men heard that a strange animal, called an elephant, had been brought to the town, but none of them were aware of its shape and form.
Out of curiosity, they said: “We must inspect and know it by touch, of which we are capable”. So, they sought it out, and when they found it they groped about it.
In the case of the first person, whose hand landed on the trunk, said “This being is like a thick snake”. For another one whose hand reached its ear, it seemed like a kind of fan.
As for another person, whose hand was upon its leg, said, the elephant is a pillar like a tree-trunk. The blind man who placed his hand upon its side said the elephant, “is a wall”.
Another who felt its tail, described it as a rope. The last felt its tusk, stating the elephant is that which is hard, smooth and like a spear.
Wikipedia
Stop for a moment and think how many times you have been in a similar position holding on to a small part of the whole but so sure that you have unravelled the mysteries of the universe.
Having the hindsight of life experience, I can truly say that I have gone through phases where I thought I had arrived at the spring of life only to find myself alone in a dry barren place with nothing to satisfy my thirst.
I desperately needed to wake up by letting go of my distorted vision of reality.
Blind guides
We are attracted and choose to follow blindly – our parents, teachers, managers, politicians, gurus, televangelists, false prophets, etc. Some may have even arrived at our doorstep disguised as lovers or friends.
Jesus speaks about those who have eyes and ears but choose not to see and hear.
He tells his disciples to ignore the Pharisees, the “religious authority” of his day and he calls them “blind guides”. For context read Matthew 15:13-14 MSG
“Forget them. They are blind men leading blind men. When a blind man leads a blind man, they both end up in the ditch.”
Jesus in Matthew 15:13-14 MSG
Religion was meant to connect you back to reality but the rigid legalistic application of it separates us from one another and from the very Source we claim to worship.
What stops you from seeing reality?
Exodus 