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THREE DAYS TO SEE (page 4)
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Friends who are near to me I know well, because through the months and years
they reveal themselves to me in all their phases; but of casual friends I have
only an incomplete impression, an impression gained from a handclasp, from
spoken words which I take from their lips with my finger tips, or which they
tap into the palm of my hand.
How much easier, how much more satisfying it is for you who can see to grasp
quickly the essential qualities of another person by watching the subtleties of
expression, the quiver of a muscle, the flutter of a hand. But does it ever
occur to you to use your sight to see into the inner nature of a friend or
acquaintance? Do not most of you seeing people grasp casually the outward
features of a face and let it go at that?
For instance, can you describe accurately the faces of five good friends? Some
of you can, but many cannot. As an experiment, I have questioned husbands of
long standing about the color of their wives' eyes, and often they express
embarrassed confusion and admit that they do not know. And, incidentally, it is
a chronic complaint of wives that their husbands do not notice new dresses, new
hats, and changes in household arrangements.
The eyes of seeing persons soon become accustomed to the routine of their
surroundings, and they actually see only the startling and spectacular. But
even in viewing the most spectacular sights the eyes are lazy. Court records
reveal every day how inaccurately "eyewitnesses" see. A given event will be
"seen" in several different ways by as many witnesses. Some see more than
others, but few see everything that is within the range of their vision.
Oh, the things that I should see if I had the power of sight for just three
days!
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