“There is only one way to see things until someone shows us how to look at them with different eyes.” Pablo Picasso
Recently, I spoke with an instructor in my exercise class about a very interesting tatoo he has on the inside of his arm. It is a huge eye with different colors. As we talked about it, he told me about its origin. It seems that his son has Asperger’s Syndrome, and he talked about how hard it is for others to see the world as his son sees it.
Asperger’s is a form of Autism, and although it has several characteristics, inability to interact socially, repetitive behavior, and limited interests are a few. Usually a person with this condition is very high functioning with intelligence reaching a whole different spectrum. The movie, A Beautiful Mind comes to my mind as an example of such a person. This is the case with “Bob’s” son.
During my years in the classroom, several of us teachers had occasion to teach a few of these special children, but at that time, research had just begun to study the condition and its implications. We loved them, but we couldn’t always see the world through their eyes, so I empathize with “Bob” and his struggle.
“Bob” talked about how difficult his son’s childhood years had been, and he admitted that it had taken years for him to deal with his son’s condition. His son is now 22, living on his own, and successful with his life. “Bob” lamented the fact that he had not known how to accept his son and see the world through his eyes. The tattoo is his way of letting everyone know that just because someone acts or looks differently does not mean they are not worthy of your love and respect. They can show you a whole new world if you take the time to listen. He says he loves for people to notice his tattoo so he can tell his story and how he celebrates his son and the world through his eyes.
As I pondered this, I thought about the many times I wear a cross. This symbol should be a sign to all who see it that Christ sees each of us and our value. I pray that each of us can look at each other with different eyes as we incorporate compassion and love.
“For God sees not as man sees, for men looketh on the outside appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” I Samuel 16:7