We Need Glasses

 

There is a misconception that we have infinite knowledge at our disposal regarding other people. We’re told and shown these people who are “great”. We are supposed to idolize said “greats” without question because they did x,y, and z but if someone is genuinely great that means they’re superior in comparison to the rest. Then again who is the rest?

We, as a society, compare the remarkable to others who were also given the ability or rather opportunity to showcase their talents. As we compare we disregard the other people, the ones who aren’t seen and have no feasible way to demonstrate their talents. These “others” aren't inferior; they could be gifted too, but they surely are not who we get to judge. They’re the invisible; they're the ultimate underdogs. These are people you haven't met, the people you can't even advocate for because they solely exist in your wildest dreams or extremely vivid imagination.

 So my question is: Why do we all walk around with this preconceived idea of who’s great and who isn’t? At the end of the day, we don’t know anyone and everyone for who they are nor where their true capabilities lie. If you ponder it some more, in the grand scheme of things we determine who’s great based on two factors: those who are accessible to us and what we can see ergo we never get the whole story. Thus, who's to say we can examine each other accurately? What we are shown is never everything. There are not “two sides to every story.” There are a million. This abundance of distinct views is only displayed when we acknowledge all parties involved which we as a society do not do. Our struggle to examine all individuals objectively is why we shouldn't compare in the first place. It’s astonishing how our society tosses around labels like Oprah giving away cars for free when what others decide to show us is merely a pixelated piece of their puzzle. Pixelated as in blurry, disoriented, and to some extent artificial. People’s opinions are manipulated easily through the various perspectives that people chose to show to the public. 

Since others control what we see, none of us have 20/20 vision, and we all share the same struggle of obscured vision to the world around us. It’s our lack of sight and perspective that ties us together, not some widespread opinion we all share because no such thing exists. We need to put on our collective lenses and see the multiple perspectives of the world around us. Only then will we be able to see clearly.