In Praise of Seeing

A few weeks back, as I strolled through the rooms of Tate Modern, I experienced a moment of truth. My relationship with art had changed. I saw everything differently. In the past few months, life threw me on the scariest roller coaster; I had the same feeling as I came to terms with changes. How we see and relate to things goes through a 360-degree turn based on our experiences and journey in life. We get better at seeing if we let these experiences completely wash us or turn a blind eye as we run through life.

I wasn’t good at seeing in my early 20s; a lot has changed. I read a beautiful line somewhere that has stayed on my mind,

“to see like the awareness of a heron looking at the lake”.

Well, human beings are choosy when it comes to seeing. It calls for attention and presence apart from the other factors influencing the decision to see or unsee. To unsee is often the easy, non-confrontational path to peace. What is of importance is to see the invisible. Art, nature, people, landscapes, and even movies all have layers hidden in plain sight.

“What is essential is invisible to the eye,” — Little Prince.

How do we tap into our inner wells to draw inspiration and energy to see the essential? Is curiosity and openness to the unknown enough to draw us to see better? How do we let our consciousness be fluid enough to have awareness like the heron standing in front of a vast infinite lake?

I don’t know if I even make sense. I just wanted to write about the awe of finding new ways to see and have expressed more than I should. I want to think and probably write a more extended essay on this. Till then, I will try to keep up my effort to see truly.