THE PASSION OF VISION

• By: Louis Ochiel
• Date: June 20, 2023

VIKTOR Frankl, an Austrian psychologist who survived the death camps of Nazi Germany, made a significant discovery. As he found within himself the capacity to rise above his humiliating circum-stances, he became an observer as well as a participant in the experience. He watched others who shared in the ordeal. He was intrigued with the question of what made it possible for some people to survive when most died. He looked at several factors--health, vitality, family structure, intelligence, survival skills. Finally, he concluded that none of these factors was primarily responsible. The single most significant factor, he realized, was a sense of future vision the impelling conviction of those who were to survive that they had a mission to perform, some important work left to do.!

Survivors of POW camps in Vietnam and elsewhere have reported similar experiences: a compelling, future-oriented vision is the primary force that kept many of them alive.

The power of vision is incredible! Research indicates that children with "future-focused role images perform far better scholastically and are significantly more competent in handling the challenges of life: Teams and organizations with a strong sense of mission significantly outperform those without the strength of vision." According to Dutch sociologist Fred Polak, a primary factor influencing the success of civilizations is the "collective vision" people have of their future.* Vision is the best manifestation of creative imagination and the primary motivation of human action. It's the ability to see beyond our present reality, to create, to invent what does not yet exist, to become what we not yet are. It gives us capacity to live out of our imagination instead of our memory.

We all have some vision of ourselves and our future. A nd that vision creates consequences. More than any other factor, vision affects the choices we make and the way we spend our time.

If vision is limited -if it doesn't extend beyond the Friday nigh ball game or the next TV show-we tend to make choices based on what's right in front of us. We react to whatever's urgent, the impulse of the moment, our feelings or moods, our limited awareness of our options, other people's priorities. We vacillate and fluctuate. How we feel about our decisions even the way we make them--changes from day to day.

If our vision is based on illusion, we make choices that aren't based on "true north" principles. In time, these choices fail to create the quality-of-life results we expect. Our vision becomes no more than platitudes. We become disillusioned, perhaps cynical. Our creative imagination withers, and we don't trust our dreams anymore.

If our vision is partial- if we focus only on our economic and social needs and ignore our mental and spiritual needs, for example--we make choices that lead to imbalance.

If our vision is based on the social mirror, we make choices based on expectations of others. It's been said that "when man discovered the mirror, he began to lose his soul" If our self-vision is no more than reflection of the social mirror, we have no connection with our inner selves, with our own uniqueness and capacity to contribute. We're living out of scripts handed to us by others--family, associates, friends, enemies, the media.

And what are those scripts? Some may seem constructive: "You’re so talented!” You're a natural ball player!" "I always said you should be a doctor!" Some may be destructive: "You're so slow! You can't do anything right!" "Why can't you be more like your sister" Good or bad, these scripts can keep us from connecting with who we are and what we're about.

And consider the images the media project-cynicism, skepticism, violence, indulgence, fatalism, materialism. "Important news” is bad news. If these images are the source of our personal vision, is it any wonder that many of us feel disconnected and at odds with ourselves?