Eyes to See: How We Can See Others More Clearly

A blind musician learned to see people for who they truly are. He believes there is more that binds us than separates us.

In Mark chapter 8, Christ lectures his disciples for doubting his power. Even though they had witnessed his miracles, they were still blind to who he truly was. In verse 18, Christ asks his disciples, “Having eyes, see ye not?” Following this account, Christ goes to Bethsaida, where he heals a blind man. Once healed, the blind man “saw every man clearly” (verse 25).

It seems no accident that Christ’s lesson on spiritual blindness is followed directly by the healing of a blind man. The disciples had eyes to see, but unlike the blind man, they did not see things clearly. We too may struggle to see with more than our physical sight, judging others based on first impressions and outward appearances. How can we learn to “see every man [and woman] clearly” instead of relying on stereotypes and shallow assumptions?

In his speech “A Tie that Binds Us All,” Marcus Roberts argues that we must stop stereotyping people based on their appearance. Roberts, a blind jazz musician, observes that physical sight is a large part of the ongoing problem of hate, discrimination, and prejudice. He encourages us to start seeing each person as “a unique individual,” not as a member of a certain group. This unique individuality is “a tie that binds us all.” If we focus on this shared strand of humanity rather than on building barriers and divides, we will strengthen our relationships and begin to see every individual with more clarity. 

The ability to truly see and love one another has little to do with physical sight. As our world grows ever more divided, we can strive to see beyond social divides and focus on what ties us all together. 

Read Marcus Roberts’s full speech “A Tie that Binds Us All.”

Source: BYU Speeches

—Kennadie Halliday, Latter-day Saint Insights

FEATURE IMAGE BY JANINE ROBINSON

Find more insights 

For more advice on how to make righteous judgments, read Erin Nightingale’s article “The Necessity of Being Judgmental.”

To discover how you can develop strong, loving connections with people, read Gary E. Stevenson’s talk “Hearts Knit Together.”