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Seeing Without Looking

GYE Corp. Saturday, 10 December 2011

I have a technique that works for me. I have been trying it for a couple of weeks now and I believe it works for me, so I just had to share it with you.


For all I know, it may already be something many of you do, but in case it is not, I believe it will appeal and give you success in the Reshus Harabbim, particularly if you are not a great fan of walking with your eyes fixed on the ground - I know some people are afraid this makes them look 'weird' others are afraid of bumping into lampposts.

The technique works like this:


When you have to walk down a crowded street (say to get to or from a train station) and you know it is inevitable that there will be a lot of pritzus on show, fix your eyes into the middle distance on an inanimate object, say a tree, a tall building etc. Focus all your eye-concentration on that object (perhaps whilst keeping your mind active with humming a song, reciting mishnayos Ba'al Peh or saying a Kapitel Tehillim) as you walk. If you do it right, you will notice that although you will be 'aware' of the people that you walk past, or who walk towards you, being there; but your mind will not allow you to focus on the detail - so you should not be able to tell what they look like, let alone end up staring at them. I have managed to get it to the point that on most occasions, I am not even aware if it is a man or woman that I have just walked past.

Important note: You have to really want to not look for it to work. Initially, it will be very tempting. You will see things out of the corner of your eyes that may prompt and tempt you to look at what you might have missed, but as you learn to focus on this faraway object, you will find that you are able to blur the edges of your vision so that you see nothing 'out of the corner of your eyes'.


It takes a little practice, but it works.


It also allows you to walk around with your head held high, but still protect your eyes.