The Art of Seeing by The Art of Seeing 1942

Author:The Art of Seeing, 1942
Language: rus
Format: epub

it, and acquire instead the habit of taking rapid glances at things, then averting or

momentarily closing the eyes and remembering what was sensed. Billboards and

shop-fronts provide excellent material on which to practise flashing, as one walks

or is carried past them in car or bus. The mental attitude of one who is looking at the

world in quick, brief flashes should be one of easy indifference. Just as, while

swinging, one lets the world go by without making any effort to get to know it in

detail, so, while flashing, one should rid one's mind of any over-anxious desire to

see, and just be content to glance, first outwards at the physical object, then inwards

at the memory-image of it. If the inward image corresponds with the outward object,

as seen at a second and nearer glance, well and good. If it fails to correspond, but is

merely a blur, that also is well and good. Nothing is so unfavourable to seeing as the

competitive, prize-winning, test-passing spirit. Efforts on the part of the conscious

'I' defeat their own object. It is when you stop trying to see that seeing comes to you.

Casual flashing should be supplemented by drills during periods specifically set

aside for the purpose. The objects used in these drills should be fairly small, simple,

clear-cut and familiar. Here, for example, are some effective procedures, in which

use is made of a set of dominoes.

Relax the eyes by palming for a few moments; then pick up a domino at random,

hold it out at arm's length, pass the eyes across it in a quick glance and immediately

close them. Even if the dots were not distinctly seen, it is probable that they were

sensed, and that the sensing will have left a trace which can be revived as a

memory-image. With the eyes still closed tell yourself what you remember to have

made out of the upper half of the domino, then of the lower half. Open the eyes and,

if necessary, bring the domino nearer for a verification of your guess. If the guess

was right, well and good. If it was wrong, well and good. Take another domino

and start again.

A more elaborate version of the same procedure is as follows. Take a dozen

dominoes and stand them in a row along the edge of a table. Seat yourself in front of

them at the limit of convenient seeing. Swing your eyes from left to right along the

row, counting the dominoes as rapidly as you possibly can. (This sets the

immobilized eyes and attention shifting at unaccustomed speed, and is a most

salutary exercise in itself.) Then bring the eyes back to the first domino and, closing

the lids, name the numbers in the upper and lower halves respectively. Open the

eyes again and verify your guess. Then count the whole row once again and,

glancing back to the second domino, flash, close, and name the numbers. Continue

counting and flashing, until you reach the end of the line.

If your eyes are myopic, and it is hard to see at anything but short range, perform

this drill for the first time within easy seeing distance; then move back and repeat.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.