Ever since I was a child I would hear my father every so often say “I see said the blind man." being young when I first heard him say this I kind of took it like it was some kind of joke, and really didn’t give it that much thought. My father died in 1985 today when I look back in time and ponder on those words my father spoke all those years I tried to unravel the phrase I’ve heard so often.
What did he really mean by saying “I see said the blind man?" Was he talking about all of us in general the people who make up our society? Have we all been somewhat blind in life? How many times have we walked by a bum, or some poor soul who couldn’t find his role in society and only looked at the surface? Perhaps we seen a grubby exterior and judged accordingly. On the other hand, perhaps some of us had what we considered an open mind and had a philosophy of our own, we wouldn’t judge but rather say to ourselves “hey if that’s the life this person chooses fine.
Hey, I’ll be the first to admit I am guilty of this conduct. I remember at the age of nineteen as I walked through villages in South Vietnam I actually looked at those people living in grass huts eating their daily and customary diet of rice and living a very simple life as being ignorant. Who am I to judge? What I was guilty of was being blind at the time and not looking under the surface to see these simple people I considered ignorant had a heart just like me or perhaps a bigger heart than mine at the time. I believe they were the intelligent ones looking at me as being the ignorant one. This was true I was too blind to see the truth.
Oh sure it’s only in our human nature I suppose to be attracted to attractive people. We like to look at handsome men or beautiful women and comment on their looks. We say he is handsome or she is beautiful. Many stars become stars because of the reason they can capture an audience with their looks.
It’s only natural to present to the world what we want them to see, and not what is hidden inside of us. Is this factor the reason we have always had wars or heated arguments with our neighbor? When we yell at someone are we trying to say “hey I can see the real you" but rather than being candid and revealing what we see in our neighbor perhaps is because the reason we can see this hidden characteristic is because we too possess it.
“Very few people really see things unless they've had someone in early life who made them look at things. And name them too. But the looking is primary, the focus" Denise Levertov
Michael Jackson had a # 1 hit in 1988 titled “man in the mirror" here are a few of the lyrics:
Man In The Mirror lyrics
I'm Gonna Make A Change,
For Once In My Life
It's Gonna Feel Real Good,
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .
As I, Turn Up The Collar On My Favorite Winter Coat
This Wind Is Blowin' My Mind
I See The Kids In The Street,
With Not Enough To Eat
Who Am I, To Be Blind?
Pretending Not To See Their Needs
A Summer's Disregard,
A Broken Bottle Top
And A One Man's Soul
They Follow Each Other On
The Wind Ya' Know
'Cause They Got Nowhere To Go
That's Why I Want You To Know
I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself, And Then Make A Change
(Take A Look At Yourself, And Then Make A Change)
(Na Na Na, Na Na Na, Na Na, Na Nah)
I've Been A Victim Of A Selfish
Kind Of Love
It's Time That I Realize
That There Are Some With No Home,
Not A Nickel To Loan
Could It Be Really Me,
Pretending That They're Not Alone?
Michael Jackson (his “bad" album)
I believe we could all learn a great deal if we looked at the man/woman in the mirror and say to him/her “hey there let’s get it right."
(A personal note from the author not related to the content this article) "I don't believe any of the accusations made against Michael Jackson are true."
