The Five Senses, pt 1: Sight

I have decided that there are two types of people: up-lookers and down-lookers. This was illustrated to me several years ago at the Huntington Gardens. I and my lovely wife (though at the time we were not even dating) were walking along a path with some friends, the one contemplating his steps, the other reveling in her surroundings. As we came to some steps to go up the a latticed-in landing, the one banged his head on the lattice, and the other tripped over the steps. I'm not sure what that says exactly, but I always find it amusing, and I see it play out regularly in our daily lives.

Okay, I take it back; I do know what that signifies: I am a down-looker, so this may not be news to you up-lookers out there.

In mountainbiking, and in other sports, there is the belief that your body (and hopefully your bike) will go where your eyes go. Don't look at that rock in the middle of the path. Look at the 2 inches of trail beside it. Otherwise you'll end up on your face, with a bike on top of you.

The same idea is held in gymnastics and parkour: spot your landing. Look where you want to land. Don't get distracted, or you'll miss your footing, especially if you're not just hitting a nice broad piece of ground.

We see it in karate too: look at your target. If you look away, your focus will be elsewhere, and your technique will be weaker, even if you still hit the target.

I think the same is true of the soul. Spend a day or a week watching where you look. Try actually looking at the people whom you pass every day. Find out how hard it is to make eye contact with everyone you pass. I, at least, have a tendency to ignore people by watching the ground slide past me. But the cement and brick is much less interesting that the people passing, and even less interesting that the tree branches above, filtering the sunlight and sky.

As much as practical, avoid lowering your gaze below eye-level. Try not looking at people when you're not looking at the ground. It feels rude to! Looking at the ground can at least feel respectful. But try actually making eye contact. Then try smiling at no one in particular (more on this in a later post).

Go ahead, risk a glance up at that sky or tree. See how much it affects your mood and lifts your spirits. Follow the examples of the Gothics (not to be confused with the Goths) and their cathedrals intended to draw your eyes upward to God.