Are we really seeing what we are looking at?

The question is not what you look at, but what you see.

~ Henry David Thoreau

Life moves fast these days. We move at speeds people just 100 years ago would have thought unimaginable. From our daily drives, to travel by airplane, and now people going to space, we move quickly.

Human life not only moves with fervor physically, but our technology and modes of communication beckon a quicker pace in our daily lives.  Combined with economic demands and the stresses that can create, we might feel as though we could blink and watch out life go by and wonder where all the time went.

Yet in the quote above by Henry David Thoreau, I think there is. a call to change all of that with one simple activity: Seeing. It is not what about what we are looking at, it is about whether or not we are truly seeing what we are looking at which will add to the quality of our lives.

Are we stopping to witness how marvelous nature is? The trees, clouds, birds – they are in themselves most wondrous. Yet we only notice their marvelous nature if we take the time, and the mental focus, to witness their majesty.

Are we stopping to see how wonderful our family members are? Regardless of what family issues we may have, family members ought to be treasured, because without them, we would not be here.

Are we stopping to see that no matter how dire things may look, there is always the opportunity for good in this world? There is always the opportunity for change, because life itself is change.

Are we stopping to see? Sometimes that’s all it takes to change our lives: Stop.