Visions Limits

“Everyone takes the limits of his own vision for the limits of the world.” –Arthur Schopenhauer

Tunnel vision. Narrow vision. No vision. Broad Vision. Television. I often wonder what the world around me truly looks like. I know what I see, but is it what others see. I know it isn’t color blind like I see. Red/green colors cause me problems personally so I know the spectrum varies. Maybe to not be red/green color blind is the defect? So the rest of you who see red/green colors are abnormal.

But do people see the same thing when they look at it or do they use their eyes and mind to form the shape, color and movement of the existence they dwell in. Does the mind decide whether it likes something or not, then allow the picture to reflect that prejudice?
The quote from Schopenhauer is actually talking about a different definition of vision. That definition (in my humble opinion) is more in how far or how little we can stretch our minds around new technologies, new ideologies and new futures. And these are amazing leaps of vision that are driving us forward. Often times they are dragging me forward against my will.

I probably look at the time before computers took over the world (yes, they have) and remember the simpler life. Much like my parents remember the time before television. My grandparents generation would have reflected on the time before the telephone, the horseless carriage and expressways.

I try to embrace the new, regardless of how it often makes my skin itch and crawl. At the same time I long for what I grew comfortable with. I wish I could look under the hood of a car and recognize some of the parts. The dipstick for the oil is about the only thing that hasn’t changed in about 50 years.

So I hold onto the simple things that don’t have to be updated by Microsoft and doesn’t require a mouse click or a touch screen. I adapt and utilize those modern technologies and other mechanical things but they don’t give me comfort. Not like my old lawn tractor, acoustic guitar or the pencil that I first wrote this blog with.