We’re All Human

What am I? A human being. Place no other labels upon me, please.

What do I do? Well, many things, but for now, let’s just say that I collect and create words and images.

What do I want to do better? See.

Multitasking is a myth. Nobody does it well, and nobody makes his or her life better using it as a strategy. Obviously, these observations of mine (which are “scientifically proven,” of course) stops no one (except me, perhaps) from trying to make multitasking work for them. It’s probably not outlandish of me to say that we, as a society—with our phones always within reach—have not only a compulsion to multitask, but a fear of having nothing to do. The results? Well, among other things, we have lost the ability to see. I’m not talking about being able to read small print without glasses. No, what I have in mind is the notion of seeing as awareness. 

Have you ever asked yourself any of these questions?

• What is going on around me?
• What is the surface pointing to down below?
• Why do I see the world in such a way?
• How did I come by these beliefs, prejudices, and/or opinions?
• Should any of them be reassessed?
• If so, how do I go about doing that? (Hint: read some classic literature, and if you find it a struggle, even better; keep going. Getting good at something takes practice.)
• Why haven’t I noticed this before?

By chance, I’m reading two books specifically about seeing: one on the mechanics of the eye—The Bates Method for Better Eyesight without Glasses by William H. Bates—and one on awareness—Learning to See: Drawing Techniques by Peter Jenny.

Then again, it could be argued that every book in my reading basket and stack are helping me learn to see.