Nov 13 2008
Vision, Information and Power
[A]s the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everything that has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know all living entities; but Me no one knows.
(Bhagavad Gita As It Is, 7:26) (4)From his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth.
(Psalms 33:14)He sees you when are sleeping
He knows when you’re awake
He knows if you’ve been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!
(Santa Claus is Coming to Town) (5)
Through the ages humankind has believed in a number of mythological agents capable of seeing without being seen. Why is eye contact, gaze, and both seeing and being seen weighty matters to our species? One person staring at another person while the second person intentionally averts their eyes is the human equivalent of one dog sniffing another while the other does nothing. It’s about information. And information is power.
In a sense, the dog with its tail between its leg is “saying” I’m a nobody, I don’t even smell. I’m no threat to you, how can I be if I don’t broadcast my odor, at least not boldly so? The dog that smells less has a limited scent-footprint; it is thus “smaller.”
Just as the subordinate dog allows the dominant to sniff without being sniffed, the subordinate human allows the more dominant to see without being seen. The subordinate averts his/her gaze. They relinquish access to knowledge that can translate into power: information about identity, strength, intent.
For example, throughout the mammalian kingdom, “Simple concealment, or hiding, is widespread–especially for females mating with a subordinate male out of sight behind a bush.” (6) Avoid the sight of the dominant and his power to control your behavior is limited.
“I am no threat to you.” The coy human female stereotypically touches her hair, looks askance, bends her neck and lifts her shoulders (giving the illusion of being smaller). This is an invitation to freely look without fear of reprisal. By showing signs opposite to those of threat – standing taller, staring, etc. – the female invites investigation. Feel free to examine me. How do human beings investigate one another? No, they don’t sniff one another’s crotches, they look.
Another example is the universal human aversion to be stared at. To stare at people is considered bad manners. Why? Because the stareer gains information about others who may not welcome being “read” so intently. How dare the starer! Also, by staring the starer fails to show polite deference. And no one likes to be one-upped, if they can help it or it is uninvited.
To see is to gain information and information is power. To avoid being seen is to limit the control others might have over you. Many religions manifest this human concern. In the ancient Egyptian worship of the sun-god Ra, the highest prophets were given a title that denoted either, the “‘Greatest of Seers’ or ‘He who Sees the Great One.’” (8) Shaman have visions. They see more than others.
What about Bible-based religions? Consider these two verses, for a start.
So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” (Genesis 32:30)
She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for
she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” (Genesis 16:13)
Information is power. As a heavily visually-oriented primate we are very concerned about seeing and being seen. Or not. And this theme is amply reflected in the Bible, as we shall . . . see.
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(4) Prabhupada, A.C. Bhaktivedanta, Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Collier Books, NY, 1972.
(5) Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, J. Fred Coots, Henry Gillespie (c) 1934
(6) Jolly, A. Lucy’s Legacy, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1999, p. 208
(7) http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm
(8) Quirke, S. The Cult of Ra: Sun-Worship in Ancient Egypt, Thames & Hudson, New York, 2001, p. 106
Nice verse trilogy!