It's Not What You Look at That Matters, It's What You See

Hey there!

I wrote this essay months ago. I'm sure it can be interesting for you all to read it. It covers an interesting topic.

Essay:

It's Not What You Look at That Matters, It's What You See

                       In our lives, we mostly overlook the essence of a thing or situation. When we look at something, it doesn't mean we understand what it really is. To look means, "to merely turn towards or focus your eyes towards an object", while to see means "to perceive or understand". Even when we carefully examine the same thing another person has, we might see something completely different because of our different life experiences. From my understanding, Henry David Thoreau's quote says - Everything in life, there's always a deeper meaning or reasoning. What we look at on the outside cannot be fully interpreted or understood until we see further.
                               As an individual, I've noticed many circumstances of this quote being true; our perspectives can vary. We may see the same situation through either a negative or positive lens. If we see the world through a negative lens, we merely interpret life events to support our already negative mindset. However, when we approach life with a positive frame of mind, everything changes. Suddenly, the world is a very different place that lives up to our expectations. I remember a particular time when I had to join community service from my college. It was an event to promote clean and green environment. We weren't told that we were supposed to clean the park there. My classmates were sad because they knew they had to clean. I was very excited; it was an opportunity to contribute to the community and I saw positive aspects my classmates didn't.
                            Thoreau’s quote reminds me of a line from the poem "Lunatic" written by Laxmi Prasad Devkota. In his poem he wrote, "I see a flower in the stone--". When we think of flower we immediately link it to beauty and chastity, but we regard a stone as a dull, lifeless creation. However, if we regard all the great uses of a stone, we would also see its importance. The poet says he sees a stone as a beautiful and marvelous object. This ability to see something greater and meaningful in simple things is a great skill.
                         His quote also proves true when look at paintings or art.  Looking at a painting, we see and feel much more than the picture; we see the life in it. For example, if we look at the painting of Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci, the first thing that comes to our mind is that it is a painting of a woman. But we can see much more than that. We are drawn by her appearance and the skill of the artist to make her come alive.  Her eyes meet the observer’s gaze silently, drawing the viewer into her eye line.  The landscape behind her creates natural order and harmony, all punctuated by the detail of her mouth and that world famous enigmatic smile.
                       An example that demonstrates this quote for me is from Anthony Robbins life story. In it, he says one Thanksgiving day his family had no money and no food, and someone came knocking on their door. A man stood there with a box of food, a giant turkey, and even some pans to cook it in. His father felt worthless and went away, leaving his wife and children.  That experience had a profound impact on Anthony's life and he promised himself that someday, he'd do well enough financially to help people. By eighteen, he had created a Thanksgiving ritual. He would buy enough food for several families, then go to the poorest neighborhood and give it to them. He always included a note explaining his Thanksgiving experience as a kid. The same experience that taught him love and kindness for the poor, brought bitterness and shame to his father.                   
                      I think this quote also refers to how we perceive people.  This quote is similar to "Don't judge a book by its cover". Sometimes what may seem ordinary can turn out to be something great.  An abused person growing up in a terrible household would view things differently than that of a child with a good upbringing and family. If they both see the same painting, they might view it differently due to their backgrounds and the way their brains are wired. Also, their thoughts on family and loyalty might differ.                                
                     We can try to be the conscious observer so we don't miss the things we see.  It's not possible to understand every little detail in our lives, but surely we understand the bigger picture; he fundamental nature of life. We cannot control life, but we can control the way we see life. Often, we just look, not taking the time to see every detail, and we miss out on a lot. It can be amazing to stop and see how the flowers change as the different species bloom and fade. This quote reminds us to notice things we may be missing.  We'll absorb the most out of life if we learn to look at things from a different perspective.
                                 To wrap up, what we look at doesn't matter as much as what we perceive and understand. "Looking" is a physical attempt to "see" something, whereas "Seeing" is visual perception of something. Thoreau’s quote gives us a deeper sense of realization that what we look at is not as important as what we see when we look at it. We can miss a lot of things or overlook the important thing if we don't perceive or understand it.

 - Sristi <3


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