Do I see what you see ?

As I walked down the stairs and entered the garden, I was suddenly scared seeing a snake. It was quite long and seemed ready to strike. Very scary indeed. Just then, the street lights that were down till then, lit up the area. I was relaxed now. I noticed that it was only a rope afterall. I walked ahead, picked it up and kept it aside.

The presence of light made all the difference.

I always wonder. How exactly does the world around us look like? Is it the way we see it or is it something different ? Before you think that my question is irrelevant, please pause and see this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HWVgQdSTDQ and then continue reading this post.

I hope you now appreciate my endless curiosity !

Before we proceed further, I request you to also quickly see the below two web pages:

1. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-do-other-animals-see-the-world.html
2. https://designyoutrust.com/2019/10/what-the-world-looks-like-through-the-eyes-of-different-animals/

Thank you ! I am sure you are now amazed as much as I am.

The question is: What exactly is the world around us? How does it actually look? Is it fixed or variable? Is it absolute or subject to how we see it? What is the truth here?

Well, physical light and construct of the eyes may be the key reasons why animals and us see the world differently. However, we humans see the world differently for a host of other reasons as well.

Our education, our prejudices, Our interests, Our orientation, our mood, Our upbringing…all of these influence the way we see the world around us.

Many of us would have heard the story about Duryodhana and Dharmaraja in this context. Krishna asked them both to go out into the kingdom and find out if there is any good person. Duryodhana returns saying everybody is bad, except him. Whereas Dharmaraja returns saying everybody is good except himself. This story is illustrative to convey the fact that everything depends on our perception and understanding.

A biologist sees a plant differently from the way an artist perceives the plant. A photographers impression of the setting sun is very different from that of a philosopher. A defeated man feels that the world is extremely unfair. A successful man feels it differently. I am sure you have experienced things such as what I am trying to convey.

Light and eyes – If these are the two things that differentiates how one sees the world from another.

Then, what kind of light and what type of eyes do we need to ensure we see the world the way it is and not subject to the variations within and between us?

I would like to believe that when we see the world with the eyes of compassion and with the light of knowledge of the underlying unity of all creation, it is only then we will finally be able to see the world the way it actually is.

Until then, we have to constantly remind ourselves that what we are seeing is not what it truly is.