I’m passionate about technology for social good. I’m always looking out for opportunities to use my technical skills to do something meaningful,” reads the Internet profile of 20-year old Kartik Sawhney. The words “always looking out” are ironic, since Kartik is blind. Yet, he’s an engineer at Microsoft, research assistant at Stanford University and the winner of many awards for exceptional accomplishments. Blind visionaries like Kartik remind us that not everyone with eyes has vision, and that the blind can sometimes see much more than the sighted.
Today is World Sight Day with a call to action for “eye care for all.” There are 39 million blind people worldwide, including 15 million in Indian. Our eyes are not only windows that open us to the world; they’re also giveaways for others to peep inside us. While eyes can express joy, love, compassion, humility and enlightenment, they also convey arrogance, envy, hatred, lust and mockery.
Christianity holds that God is omniscient. “The eyes of God are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good”, says the Bible. Thus, believers often petition God to look upon them with favour, like King Solomon: “O Lord, may your eyes be open day and night… and may you heed the prayer of your servant”. Interestingly, Indian popular art portrays gods with big eyes; for they never fail to see!
Devotees yearn to see God. Divine darshan is not just an act of seeing, but an “insight” that penetrates the depths of reality. Thus, after the great visvarupadarsanam that’s central to the Bhagwad Gita, Lord Krishna says that such a vision cannot be obtained by ordinary religious practices, but by single-minded love (ananya bhakti) which enables Arjuna to know, to see, and unite with him.
Jesus proclaimed, “God’s spirit has sent me to restore sight to the blind.” He healed many who were born blind, but to the “spiritually blind” Jesus said, “I came into the world so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” The “spiritually blind” were the Pharisees and hypocrites who dwelt in darkness because they refused to let God’s light shine.
On World Sight Day pledge to donate our eyes and strive to strengthen that “inner eye” which will make us true “seers” — for that is what all mahatmas are
born to be.
— Francis Gonsalves is a professor of theology.
He can be contacted at fragons@gmail.com
