Social blindness

When we see someone on the street walking with the aid of a white cane, we immediately think how lucky we are compared to that person, because we have the gift of sight.

But is that really the case? The ability to see is something that can be measured, that’s true. Either we have it, or we don’t, to varying degrees of severity. Right up to total blindness.

But does the fact that we can navigate the world, distinguishing shapes, colours and the movement of things, make us better able to be fully present?

Perhaps the fact that we have the ability to see is not necessarily synonymous with being able to observe. Observation is something that requires us to be attentive.

How many of us, who are able to see, are truly mindful of our surroundings? How many of us actually see and look at the things and people around us?

The ability to self-reflect is in itself a virtue that should not be overlooked, but nowadays there is a tendency towards self-improvement, towards focusing on ourselves, and towards prioritising our own needs over those of others. It is not wrong to focus on our own needs and on improving ourselves. It is always desirable for us to be well, for only in this way can we help others and perform our tasks better.

But in an age where there is increasing talk of burnout and a lack of interest in reality itself, is it not this inability to observe others with attention that is failing us? Could it be that by failing to pay the attention to reality that we ought to, and by devoting ever more time and focus to one or several screens and to virtual contact with others, we are leading ourselves towards greater isolation and a sense of detachment?

As with everything, technology too has two sides to it. It is remarkable how we are able to communicate with one another these days. The speed, the ability to bring together people and communities that are far apart. Cultures that in the past were known only through books or manuscripts are now practically in constant contact. But has this really given humanity a broader view of the world?

We see situations today that seem straight out of the last century... and not from the end of the last century, but from the beginning. We are unable to look at the person next to us, the person sitting beside us on the train, yet we are connected to what an influencer on the other side of the world is saying...

Is this a true evolution?

Shouldn’t humanity also allow itself to evolve, to set aside its fears, feelings and frustrations, in order to become better and leave this world a better place?

I believe that these days there are more and more ‘socially invisible’ people. Many are forced into this position by specific circumstances in their lives, which leave them in a situation where they can ‘see’ very little; but there are far more who are driven by a kind of ‘social blindness’, seeing only their own needs and their own backyard.

^{Image by Alina Kuptsova from Pixabay
Original text written by @xrayman in Portuguese and translated with DeepL.com (free version)}