Inattentional Blindness, the Art of Not Seeing the Obvious

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When my son was five, he started kindergarten.  We were studying in Canada.  To my chagrin, his teacher discovered he was so short sighted he could not see the board.  I was shocked!  All of a sudden, the puzzling incidents of the past came tumbling out to mock me.  Why didn't I think of that!  Never crossed my mind he had issues with his eyes.  

He loved stories, on TV or being read to him.  Yet, he hated “going to the movies “.  The only movie he liked was ET.  When I looked back, we watched ET in the front row with our heads bent backwards.  It was very uncomfortable, but he enjoyed it.  We were a bit late and all comfortable seats were taken.

He watched TV real close, and even when told to move back, he would end up right next to the screen.  He enjoyed the colourful autumn leaves, but only those on the ground.  He refused to look up!


There was one incident where he ran ahead and hugged a man that looked like his father.  When he realised he made a mistake, he was embarrassed and cried.  I had to carry him all the way home.

I had him when I was 26.  Prior to that, I had taken a developmental psychology course.  We were told to check a child’s sensory mechanisms yet I missed his short sightedness.  I felt such an idiot when I was told by his kindergarten teacher.  

Reviewing the differences between sensation and perception helped me feel a little better.  An accurate meaningful perceptual whole cannot be made unless the right stimulus input is given attention.  Sensory data is not perceived unless it is selected.  




https://youtu.be/jReX7qKU2yc


To illustrate clearly, I am sharing with you this story:

Several centuries ago the Pope decreed that all the Jews had to convert to Catholicism or leave Italy.There was a huge outcry from the Jewish community so the Pope offered a deal.

He would hold a religious debate with the leader of the Jewish community. If the Jews won, they could stay in Italy. If the Pope won, they'd have to convert or leave.

The Jewish people met and picked an aged and wise rabbi to represent them in the debate. However, as the rabbi spoke no Italian and the Pope spoke no Yiddish, both sides agreed that it would be a "silent" debate.

On the chosen day the Pope and rabbi sat opposite each other. The Pope raised his hand and showed three fingers.

The rabbi looked back and raised one finger and shook it at the Pope.

Next the Pope waved his finger around his head.

The rabbi pointed to the ground where he sat.

The Pope brought out a communion wafer and a chalice of wine. (https://www.britannica.com/topic/liturgy-of-the-Eucharist)

The rabbi pulled out an apple.

With that, the Pope stood up and declared himself beaten and said that the rabbi was too clever. The Jews could stay in Italy.

Later the cardinals met with the Pope and asked him what had happened.

The Pope said, "First I held up three fingers to represent the Trinity (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Trinity-Christianity).  He responded by holding up a single finger, shaking it to remind me there is still only one God common to both our beliefs.”

"Then, I waved my finger around my head to show him that God is all around us. He responded by pointing to the ground to show that God is also right here with us.”

"I pulled out the wine and wafer to show that God absolves us of all our sins. He pulled out an apple to remind me of the original sin.”

"He beat me at every move and I could not continue."

Meanwhile, the Jewish community gathered to ask the rabbi how he'd won.

"I haven't a clue," the rabbi said. "First, he told me that we had three days to get out of Italy so I shook my finger saying no.”

"Then he told me that the whole country would be cleared of Jews and I told him that we were staying right here."

"And then what?" asked a woman.

"Who knows?" said the rabbi. "He took out his lunch so I took out mine."

(I first heard the above joke from Dr. Yoni Whitten in a wellness summit or webinar.  I find his channel very useful in reducing my pain https://youtu.be/zdy9Zxc5lj0  his channel is called The Pain Fix Protocol)

Whenever I recognize myself as beginning to become judgmental, I remind myself that my “truth” depends so much on my perception.  It is very easy to perceive very differently, illustrating the importance of making space and asking for clarification before declaring you understand another person.  


Websites: www.distilledmoment.com

                  www.redha.net

Email.    : distilledmoment@gmail.com

Instagram username : halijah.mohd

Twitter handle: @distilledmoment


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