On Seeing

Photography by Suren Manvelyan

Most people would argue that our sense of sight is the most important sense that we humans have. And why not? With sight we are able to do a lot of things - read and write, differentiate form and color, recognize the people around you, discern safety from danger, and many more. Our sight is truly a gift that we should not take for granted.

But sometimes I think that being able to see hinders us in a way.

With our eyes we are quick to judge a person by how they look. From the moment we set our sights on someone we'll take into account their flaws or their beauty. People would even judge someone's character through their looks. Tattoos? Criminal or in a gang. Multiple-piercings? A freak. Brightly colored hair? Weirdo. Fat? Unhealthy lifestyle. Let's be honest, this happens more than we care to admit. And sometimes people who look like society's definition of appealing aren't exactly who they seem to be.

I sometimes wish that our eyes could tell who a person really is just by looking at them. Like some scanner embedded in your brain that tells you which people are the real and genuine and which ones are no good. But then the fascination and risk that comes with getting to know people would be gone and I bet life would be less exciting then.

As the familiar adage goes, we shouldn't judge a book by its cover. People are a layered heap of facets; we aren't one-dimensional and we are not defined by our outer selves. Live by not judging people on the way they look but rather on what they do and how they act. You'll find that the best people aren't always the most conventional.

This has been a Wednesday post brought to you by The Purple Madhouse.

DISCLAIMER: No copyright infringement intended. I take no ownership of the image used in this blog post. Images found on the internet are considered for public use unless explicitly dictated otherwise.