Open Your Eyes

Open your eyes! As a child, I heard this more than once from my parents, as many of us did. When looking for something, or hoping for a desired snack to magically appear before us, we were urged to look at what is in front of us, and not for what we were searching or hoping to find. As adults, how often do we do this same thing at work, at home, as we have an idea of what it is that we ‘need’ at that moment, and if it isn’t immediately in front of us, we dismiss what we do find? Often. Way too often. When we’re looking for our favorite shirt in the closet, and our spouse, tired of our complaining, walks over and instantly puts his or her hands on said shirt, and hands it to us, we feel a bit silly, and try to joke our way out of our embarrassment. Not a big deal in this case. It becomes more consequential, though when we do the same thing with people. Evolution and nature made sure we knew certain things were dangerous and to be avoided if we were going to survive as a species. Big, barking dogs are probably to be avoided, as is standing too close to the railroad track. But what of people who don’t look like us, behave like us, or speak our language? Yes, they are strange to us, but how do we view these differences, and how do those decisions affect the way we interact with them?

In life and in work, we often need to open our eyes; they are not technically closed, but we are not seeing things that might be helpful; to us and those around us.  This ‘closed’ stance can be a result of our upbringing, experience, and things like being told what someone was like. Little prejudices, like, ‘boys are better at sports,’ ‘girls are better cooks,’ begin to solidify and close off options when we take them as truth.

In reality, good athletes are both men and women, and while each may excel at different disciplines, there are, indeed, female boxers and football players, just as there are fine male cooks and dancers. Opening our eyes allows for this possibility, but it also requires a trust in ourselves that what we thought we ‘knew’ is not the case, being okay with that, and then exploring the newness in front of us. Why is this even important? We all recognize that people seek out the new because they are curious, and want to learn about things they have not experienced. Others prefer to stick to the tried-and-true, better able to respond to life’s challenges most efficiently when the situation is at least somewhat familiar. Both are valuable and balance us as a society, as we learn from interacting with each other. 

As we start to experience and learn about other points-of-view without judgement, and to understand other ways of thinking about a problem or navigating a tough situation, we develop the capacity to see other people, other thoughts and ideas, and other situations for what they are. This is the beginning, that tiny thought-change that allow us to better understand one another, allows the adventurers to see why having knowledge of something before leaping into it might be useful, as well as letting those more discreet in nature to see that while a certain amount of knowledge about something is a good baseline, sometimes one just needs to take action. Are you bold and adventurous, or are you thoughtful and discreet? Or perhaps it depends on the situation? With so much happening in our world right now that demands thought and action, what little steps are you able to take to bring yourself to your next level? To open your eyes to things you might have overlooked? Whatever it may be for each of us, now, while the planet is taking a deep breath, might be the time to act…