Blindness: A Human Condition

Have you ever sat with your doctor or optometrist and taken a color blindness test?  For me, the first time was at our family doctor's office when I was a child.  I was asked to identify the numbers hidden in several colored circles.

Being a person who likes challenges and wanted to pass the test, I hurried through each card.  The doctor didn't give any feedback, and I began to wonder and second guess myself:

• Did I miss something?
• Could I have misunderstood or made a mistake?
• Maybe I hurried through and didn't pay attention?
  

What's wrong with me?  Is the doctor trying to trick me?

What do you see (or not see)?
(Photo credit: Color Vision Deficiency
- American Optometric Association)

Color blindness does run through my family, but I eventually found out that I saw colors within the normal spectrum.  This childhood experience, though, fascinated me:

• The need for feedback and approval;
• The self-doubt and questioning;
• The desire to be normal and accepted; and,
  
• The quickness in blaming or suspecting someone else.
  

How many of us can identify?

Do we notice our own blindness?
(Photo credit: Color Blindness - Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments
- Prasad Netralaya)

What I have noticed over the years:  there are many different types of blindness that we may struggle with -- color blindness; congenital blindness; night vision; macular degeneration; central vision loss...

 

And, if we are honest with ourselves, there are several forms of cultural, ethical and spiritual blindnesses that limit how we see and experience this beautiful world.

Are we willing to notice and accept our limitations?
(Photo credit:  Cultural Blindness - Definitions, Examples,
Pros, Cons - HelpfulProfessor.com)

Blindness is an inability to see; an unwillingness to perceive or understand; and, sometimes, it is a lack of judgment or ignorance.  Blindness is a human condition that we all experience in some form.

 

This is where we need one another: for feedback and affirmation; correction and treatment; support and carrying... and to slow down blaming the other person for our own limitations.

 

What blindness or limitation will you notice and explore this week?

 

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

(click on link for website)

Untapped Re's

This past weekend I was back "home" -- the town where my siblings and I were raised after my parents, my older brother, and I moved from Iowa to California.  A group of us met for two days to sort through, document, digitize and store poster boards, photos, and albums from our elementary school years.  We ended up with five 27-gallon storage bins of items... and accompanying memories!

Several stories were shared as we reminisced about our childhood years and growing up in our close-knit neighborhoods.  Life seemed simpler as beautiful remembrances floated around the "gym" (our former parish hall and the original church building).

What memories are beautiful in your mind?
(Photo:  Purple Carpet along Ocean View Blvd.,
Pacific Grove, CA - Larry Gardepie)

This act of Reminiscing and Remembering caused other Re's to float to the surface:

• Re-connecting with childhood friends.
  
• Re-examining life's choices and decisions.
  
• Reconciling past hurts and misunderstandings.
  

I wondered how often these Re's have gone untapped in my life... that is, until I slow down and Re-capture what is important.

What bridges can you build in difficult situations?
(Photo:  Ocean and Shoreline Meet at Pacific Grove - Larry Gardepie)

One dialogue-related "Re" is the Re-do, the ability to pause a conversation when it goes sideways, talk about what each person is thinking and feeling, and explore what words may have triggered uneasiness in the relationship.  Then, the Re-skill begins:  testing out other word choices which respect the intent of the original conversation and allows each person to listen and understand anew.

This practice of Redo -- doing over -- helps us to tap into a desire to Stay in Relationship, even when difficult conversations need to occur.

Is there a way to move above a situation and see it more clearly?
(Photo: Aerial View of San Diego and Coronado Bridge - Larry Gardepie)

Are there other Re-words that can:

• Improve clarity and understanding?
• Build bridges instead of walls?
• Remind us of our common humanity?
  

What do you think?

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

(click on link for website)