What our eyes see

06/02/2026 Nilson Lattari

Our eyes sometimes see things that embarrass us. When we close our eyes to bad things, this behaviour, in fact, is a euphemism because our eyes were meant to see them. We pretend not to see, and this attitude may represent contempt, indifference, or lethargy in the face of injustice or prejudice.
If our eyes really perceive reality, only a tear or two can reveal it. Our eyes cry while our ears are deaf and our mouths are closed, and our bodies are unable to show empathy or deny what they feel.
Our eyes can see the injustice before us, yet we remain indifferent because either agree or do not know to explain these issues. We walk down the streets, look ahead, and ignore people sleeping on the pavements with their hands extended. Their eyes see just like ours; however, they look at us and see our indifference.
Are we bad people because of this?
When we remember slavery, under the silence of the church, we criticise our ancestors’ behaviour because they acted based on differences in skin colour. We consider this behaviour inherent to the culture of that time, but also sponsored by atrocious interests. Our outlook in the past was different or indifferent, and people agreed with this.
Yet we criticise our ancestors for this.
However, if we imagine someone coming from the future to visit us, they might ask why we allow people to sleep on the streets and do nothing for their benefit? We assume, of course, that this issue will have been solved in the future. We might respond that our culture works this way, that the solution is complicated, and that people are complicated too.
But our eyes don’t see that these issues of social exclusion from the past continue to this day, based on racism and prejudice. In the future, will these excluded people be seen in the same way?
Our eyes are more than just a way of seeing and understanding the world around us. Our eyes are complacent in these events. They are accomplices and the origin of our shame. It is a paradox that our eyes are the window to our souls. They are open to the outside, yet unable to illuminate what is inside us. Our illuminating gaze does not illuminate ourselves. Our eyes are wide-open when something interests us, but they close when we see and ignore facts. They work like a transparent curtain that hides the world from us.
We feel shame because our eyes see and support an abject world. Our eyes go beyond indifference. We are blind; the windows of our souls are indifferent to these issues, and the brightness of our eyes turns into a frozen stare.