Vision 10: Mutability


Mutability is a quality of vision since vision, like everything else, is subject to change. Graham Greene gives the example of a novel which may take years to write. It is not only the characters who develop in the course of the book, but the author, who is not the same person at the end as at the beginning. Annie Dillard notes the same problem: "The vision is not so much destroyed, exactly, as it is, by the time you have finished, forgotten." Some deny that a vision can ever be realized at all. Giacometti reportedly was frenzied by the impossibility of seeing clearly or of capturing what he saw.


Inner visions can cause measurable, tangible change in the physical plane. A mental picture of some nauseating accident scene or surgical procedure can make a person throw up, and a mental picture of a sexual stimulus can cause an erection. It has been known for over fifty years that muscle tissue shows increased electrical activity if the subject merely thinks about flexing it. Cancer patients and many others use creative visualization to bring about healing in their bodies. Those preparing for job interviews, sports tournaments and other crucial events are told to repeatedly picture a positive outcome. Visualization is an enormously powerful tool, and there is nothing mystical about it.

When the inner, individual vision does not coincide with the outer, worldly way of viewing things, trouble begins. People who don't see things in the accepted way can wind up institutionalized or crucified. Many people suffer from seeing too much or too clearly, and sometimes wish for the blissful ignorance of blindness. The question of cost is not to be taken lightly. Often those who see more, like the archetypal tormented artist, pay a high price for their folly. This unfortunate fact is illustrated charmingly in a recent animated film, where the protagonist watches the clouds turn into a sailing ship, a sleeping lion, etc. In their final metamorphosis the clouds become three cupids, one of whom descends toward the hero with a collection plate in hand.

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