Judy had cataract surgery on her left eye yesterday. In two weeks she goes back for the right. Fortunately it was an uneventful surgery, and with the exception of some burning and discomfort, she is doing well. Once healed, she is hoping to see far better than before. Her vision has been deteriorating for years, and the ophthalmologist finally said, “It’s bad enough we can do something now.”

seeingSo our attention has been on vision and physically seeing for the past few days in our house. This has prompted me to think about seeing in other ways.

Richard Rohr said in a seminar I attended, “We tend to only see what we are looking for.” He was speaking of the whole realm of beliefs, perceptions, and assumptions. We all tend to look for and listen for things that support what we already think and believe. We rarely venture out in search of something that will contradict what we already hold dear.

In our religious beliefs, in our politics, even in our relationships and self-perceptions, we gravitate toward those people with whom we feel a kinship. We welcome ideas that fit with our existing beliefs. That’s natural and normal. This is the path of greatest comfort and least resistance. Even those who appear to thrive on conflict and argument move toward those who thrive on the same thing.

This tendency seems particularly true in our politics and culture wars today, but I’m not going there this time. Read my book if you want more of that. During Lent, it’s important to me to pay attention to what I am looking for and what I am looking to avoid. If I am looking for only for confirmation, and looking to avoid any challenge, I am missing opportunities for greater understanding and for widening my circle of compassion.

These are broad ideas I hope will clarify and focus as I continue through Lent.