Vision

We are learning the neuronal pathways that lead to vision. By Monday I will be able to tell you a little bit about how your brain "sees" the world. But I'm not going to (because it maybe a little boring to you.)

But what is really on my mind is another kind of vision (hindsight, foresight, etc.)
For example, the cliche goes, "hindsight is 20/20"; it is also said that history repeats itself. So my conclusion is that there are times in our histories where we have to see things coming. I mean, you look back on your mistakes or on awkward situations and you say to yourself, "Self, oh, I see what went wrong," or "I get it now," or "I should not have done that," or "I could have done that this way." Then, we get caught in similar situations and we just happen to forget that we have totally seen it before. This could be because of the "sudden onset" of the situation. Maybe it just happened too fast to think about it or you didn't have time to process it and you went with your first reaction, which was the same one you went with last time (either out of comfort or instinct). So those times are forgiven. They still count as you not being so smart, but everyone has their moments of "passion" and "blindness".

Then, there are other times when you have a "slow, progressive onset." And everything seems to be happening in slow motion. You say to yourself, "Self, I have totally seen this before. I know where this is going. I have a chance to react differently." And yet, you keep going down the same pathway. Or you see things happening and you know exactly what the outcome is going to be, and it's not good, and you don't do anything proactive to change it. In some ways, sticking around long enought to see the event take place is a change, but that doesn't make the outcome any different.

On a different note, but kinda the same subject: have you ever asked a question that you already know the answer to? I have. I usually find people who do that annoying (yes, I am annoying), but I understand why in certain situations, one would do such a thing. This goes back to the "seeing it coming" thing. I want to justify asking questions that I know the answers to by saying that sometimes we need that verbal confirmation. It is good to hear something, even though "it is understood." Sometimes, people are a little dense (specifically, me) and it is better said plainly and clearly, than just assuming it. Also, just because you "know the answer" doesn't mean you are right. Not asking questions you think you know the answer to can lead to A LOT of miscommunication. I think it is better to ask the question to clarify, because being in the dark about something, or taking something for granted, or guessing is not always a good thing.

So what's the point? I don't know.
Maybe: pay attention to what is going on around you.
Possibly: Every once in a while there are big neon signs pointing out stuff to you.
How 'bout: Don't ask for a sign, if you don't want to see it or you are going to ignore it.
OR: There are some things you have to do (like ask questions you know the answer to) because it is good for your sanity. (even though it may be a little selfish on your part to make someone tell you something they haven't already, but if you don't do it, they won't either.)