Sight Vs Vision

I am at an age where I have to admit that sometimes reading fine print becomes difficult. For a voracious book worm like me, the ultimate punishment is to keep me away from my beloved books. I still read a lot more than most people in my circle but it is definitely less than what I am used to reading. Some days are better than others and so I carry on, refusing to get the reading glasses that would instantly alleviate my discomfort. It is pure vanity that makes me do this. It is possible that there will be a day when I have to capitulate but I would like to delay it as long as I can. So I have started doing some eye exercises that are supposed to strengthen the eye muscles and reverse the aging process. Doing this makes me feel a little bit in control, knowing fully that nature marches in only one direction - forward.

But growing older has its rewards. Perhaps with failing eyesight, there is compensation in the form of vision. We often use the words interchangeably, equating the action of a sense organ to the ability to look deeper, further into an unknown future, seeing it happen before others can. Is it age that makes this possible? Or experience? Or self-knowledge which then translates into wisdom? Vision is not the power to predict the future but sensing of what is ahead in the maze of life without having a map. It is an internal compass that guides but does not give a recipe. Vision is what builds value in the long term regardless of losses that may happen in the interim. Vision does not necessarily come with age, some are blessed at a young age. I am not sure how finely honed my visionary skills are at this time but I think it is better for me to acknowledge my yearning for acquiring vision even as I lament the loss in eyesight. As Helen Keller famously said "It is a terrible thing to see but have no vision."