They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul: they're right! The eyes will tell you a lot about a person. You've probably heard your mother tell you to look her in the eyes before you tell your story, because it's difficult for one to look another in the eyes & lie to them; it's not impossible by any means, but it does take practice! Much can be ascertained about a person by looking in their eyes. To be perfectly, the eyes DO not lie; if one takes the time & has the ability to hear them, they WILL not be able to hide the truth!
This biology is transient; we will not inhabit it forever, that much is clear! Though we are Spirits, we HAVE been given these human forms in order that we might accomplish our Heavenly Father's will. As such, we are endowed with this sensibility, wherein we bombarded on a daily basis with certain feelings & thus filling us with the urge, or basic need to satisfy those feelings. Many people, to one extent or another, with varying degrees of success, have learned how to stifle those feelings, for various reasons. Their reasoning may be that these feelings are there because of the 'Fall', hence, our fallen nature, or, as Lois Lowry brought out in her novel, 'The Giver', they just hurt too much, causing nothing but pain & suffering!
We have explored, previously, why we have been given these physical bodies; we have been blessed with this humanity in order that we might use it to glorify our Creator! Our hands & feet enable us to do great things, from lifting them in praise & honor to using our feet to help the elderly across the street. We DO have the choice of whether to use them for good or evil, but it is this human touch which, in a manner of speaking, helps the world go 'round.
'The eyes have it!' It is with the eyes ( once they are opened ) that we are able to see the need for that sweet release that comes with the free expression of our feelings, or emotions. Empathy is the feeling that we ourselves receive when we see the pain & suffering of others; it enables us to feel their pain right along with them & usually drives us to do what we can to alleviate their pain & suffering. With just one touch, we can ease one's suffering, or we can make it worse!
Many studies have shown that both hugging & kissing not only release certain necessary chemicals in our own body. they help to engender that same healing effect in others as well! 'A hug a day keeps the doctor away'! Well, maybe not quite, but one could only imagine how much better life would be if everyone in the world received at least one hug a day. I'm not just talking about one of those cursory 'glad-to-see-you' hugs that lasts somewhere between a half-second & two ( measly ) seconds, either; I'm talking about those full body hugs that last at least 20 seconds ( pretty sure a shoulder hug won't release all those good endorphins ), one of those hugs that almost makes you feel like you're melding with the other person. In this sense, it almost becomes a spiritual experience, helping in the healing of body & soul, or spirit!
The best & most we can do in this biology is to lend the human touch, whether it's a simple hug or helping a little old lady ( or gentleman ) across the street! When we open ourselves to our feelings, yes, we invite a whole new world of pain & suffering into our lives,, because it goes without saying that not everyone is going to feel inclined to return the emotion, but it also starts the healing process. We are engineered in such a way that our bodies have natural receptors for these healing emotions & when we stifle them, we not only slow down our emotional healing, we also hamper physical healing, both in ourselves & others!
Sight is by no means the only way that we can sense distress in another; sometimes the Spirit Within will alert us to the fact this person or that is enduring some discomfort & sometimes it it is a simple touch, whether a handshake or a shoulder hug, that tells us of their suffering! No matter how we deduce their pain & no matter the cause, there is always a choice before us, as to how we treat their symptoms. Sometimes those in pain will deal with their own pain by causing others pain; we must decide how to react to that, but better yet is to decide beforehand to love that person in spite of their actions, even if they cause you great pain!
The eyes, however, are probably the clearest way that most of us have for seeing the pain & suffering of those around us! Through the correct use of our eyes, our naturally empathetic nature kicks in & thus the rest of our senses ( members ) follow, doing what we can to alleviate the pain. No one, if they're honest with themselves, likes to see the suffering of another; some will just turn the other way so they can't see it & there are those who have actually lost their senses due to lack of use, misuse or abuse, but most are still alert to the feelings of others.
Charles Haddon Shank
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