“To see another human being as he really is means to lay ourselves open to his influence. Thus when fear or dislike moves us to avoid him, this reaction is already evident in our gaze; the eye characterizes him, stifling the good, heightening the bad. We discern his intentions, make swift comparisons, and leap to conclusions. All this proceeds involuntarily, if not unconsciously (in which case our powers of distortion, uncurbed by reason, so their worst). Seeing is a protective service to the will to live. The deeper our fear or distaste of a person, the more tightly we close our eyes to him, until finally, we are incapable of perception, or the profound German word for it, Wahrnehmen: reception of truth. Then we have become blind to that particular person. This mysterious process lies behind every enmity. Discussion, preaching, explanations are utterly useless. The eye simply ceases to register what is plainly to be seen. Before there can be any change, a fundamental shift must take place in the general attitude. The mind must turn to justice, the heart expand; then only can the eye really begin to discern. Little by little the sheen of the object on which it rests strengthen its visual power, and slowing it recovers the health of the truth."
The Lord, Romano Guardini
Unfortunately, we all experience this blindness! We are either the perpetrator or the victim. We have felt stunned, as we described in lurid detail, the actions of those with whom we struggle, as our listeners are blinded to what we see as truth! While at other times, we are the ones taken aback, by the lens with which a friend perceives someone, whom we see in an entirely different light.