Tunnel Vision - Part 2

From My Perspective - - -

For those who have lived in a large city, Mass Transportation is a way of life. Driving is difficult and with many delays. Parking is limited and comes at a premium. The most cost effective means of commuting is by using the Subway System. Wikipedia states: “The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit. It is one of the oldest and most extensive public transportation systems in the world, with 468 stations in operation; 229 miles of routes, translating into 656 miles of revenue track. In 2009, the subway delivered over 1.579 billion rides, averaging 5,086,833 rides on weekdays, 2.9 million on Saturdays, and 2.2 million on Sundays.”

One of the things that stand out from use of the New York Subway System was once the Train left the station all one could see by looking out of the train window was Tunnel. No matter the direction one looked – sides, back, front – all one could see was Tunnel. That’s how it was – mile after mile – until one arrived at his/her station. Then – like cattle in a stampede – there was a mad dash for the train doors and a charging toward the steps that would bring one to the surface above ground. As tedious as it was, that was the daily routine. When I was a lad being reared in New York City, we did not own a car. Walking or use of the Mass Transit System was the way we got around the city – to attend school, church, or for employment. While there were neighborhood stores, such as Grocery, Bakery, Butcher Shops, Drug Stores, etc., there were no Malls and major merchandise stores were at a distance. To get to them, required one to use the Trolley Car (later Buses) or the Subway Train. Back then, it was cost efficient (carfare was just 5 cents) and a safe means of transport. Now – people think nothing about driving their car for a block or two to purchase some item, or even make several trips to the same area on the same day. Where one needed to go and what one needed to get was carefully planned in advance. That was the day of practical economics and thrift.

Tunnel Vision is more than just riding on a Subway Train. Tunnel Vision represents the narrow perspective one has and the limiting confinement due to circumstance. Tunnel Vision is restrictive and prevents one from sensory perception gratification. It keeps one from seeing more reality. At best, it is a confined, restrictive and narrow view of life or anything else. In her November 5, 2010 column, Peggy Noonan wrote: “On Wednesday, President Obama gave a news conference to share his thoughts. Viewers would have found it disappointing if there had been any viewers. The president is speaking, in effect, to an empty room…By the end I was certain he will never produce a successful stimulus because he is a human depression…His detachment is so great, it is even from himself. As he spoke, he seemed to be narrating from a remove…The morning after the election it occurred to him: maybe he should take strong action…His aides kept telling him: Show humility. But they never told him what humility looked like. What was he supposed to do, burst into tears and say hit me? Not knowing how to feel humility or therefore show humility he decided to announce humility: He found the election humbling, he said."

On more than one occasion, the Disciples of Jesus had to be cautioned about their Tunnel Vision. When Jesus and His Disciples were on a journey through Samaria, they inquired of Him regarding “Why?” He would condescend and waste His time talking to The Samaritan Woman (Woman At The Well). Jesus responds – John 4:35 – “Do you not say, Four months more and then the harvest? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” The Message Translation states it succinctly and bluntly: “As you look around right now, wouldn't you say that in about four months it will be time to harvest? Well, I'm telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what's right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It's harvest time!” Tunnel Vision can cause one to miss the obvious. Tunnel Vision can allow one to lack imagination regarding a new horizon with new possibilities. Paul expressed this well in Ephesians 3:20-21, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory…” Believe it and live it. Consider these things with me!