Is there a difference between “sight” and “seeing”? I contend that there is a difference, a very significant difference. Perhaps we can train ourselves to recognize the differences and to make more use of our full senses. Allow me to explain and perhaps you will come to recognize the difference in your own life.
We use “sight” every day to navigate the world around us. Sight permits us to read things like street signs and books that are useful but not necessarily permanently impactful. As we negotiate the patterns of our lives, our sight helps us navigate the daily passage. In moving through the various facets of our day-to-day life, as objects come into our sight, we can sometimes make the shift into truly “seeing” what is around us.
How does that shift happen? It usually takes a conscious effort. The phrase “situational awareness” comes to mind – the full perception of our surrounding environmental elements and events. We open our minds to scan the world around us; sometimes for threats, sometimes to perceive beauty, sometimes we come to truly “see” beyond the simple use of our “sight”.
When we are in the woods, this aspect of fully seeing can become second nature. We are aware of the natural movements and rhythms that enhance the enjoyment of our pursuit, whether that be bird watching, hunting, photography, or simple wandering for the sheer joy of being immersed in the natural world. In familiar places we can note the changes to both flora and fauna through the years and we can take pleasure in that noticing.
Unfortunately, we can also become willfully blind to what is happening around us. We can become so enclosed in our synthetic world, so intent on our specific situation, that we lose all of our awareness and intentional “seeing” into the wider natural world. We ignore the use of our full senses and we miss a myriad of opportunities. The good news is that we have the ability to consciously use our full range of senses and we can make the choice to move from simple “sight” into truly “seeing”. That choice makes all the difference.