Tunnel Vision
Some people equate tunnel vision
with the adage about not seeing the forest for the trees. A person with tunnel
vision is so zoned-in on one thing he doesn’t see much else. His eyes are
fixed on a single object. He  doesn’t notice other things. He is distracted
from distraction. He is isolated in isolation. He is shut off from other facts
by fixation on a single fact he believes so important that all else recedes in
the darkness of self-imposed selective ignorance.
As a consequence, persons with
tunnel vision see only the light at the end of the tunnel, disregarding the
tunnel walls that keep the massive weight of the outside world from caving in on
them.
People with tunnel vision see the
light and may be drawn to it without realizing that safely reaching the light
depends on the integrity and strength of tunnel walls within the darkness, walls
that make the journey out of darkness possible.
Anyone who grew up in Eastern
Ohio or West Virginia knows that abandoned mines may have weakened tunnel walls.
As children growing up in the hilly coal country just west of the Ohio River we
often risked our lives crawling as far as we dared into the darkness of
abandoned mineshafts. The only light we could see was the tiny glimmer that
would guide us out again. We risked our lives crawling deep into abandoned holes in the earth where rotten timbers barely held back tons of
rock and dirt above us. Being boys more interested in impressing our chums with
our "bravery" than staying safe outside the mines, we ignored the
danger of weakened tunnel walls. In the darkness we couldn’t see the condition of those walls
and supporting timbers. All we could see was the receding
glimmer we hoped would lead us out to safety once again.
We were never foolish enough to
explore an abandoned mine so deeply we could no longer see the light that
promised exit from the darkness.
We kept sight of the light, as if
it were the light alone that kept us safe.
However deeply into darkness we
dangerously crawled with our foolish youthful enthusiasm, we always thought we
could safely escape once more if we kept sight of the light.
We foolishly ignored the
condition of those weakened tunnel walls. It was not the light alone that kept
us safe. The beams and timbers that held back tons of
earth above our foolish heads was equally important, but in the darkness we
couldn't see the beams and timbers. We counted on the light alone for safety.
Are we today like foolish children
crawling through the tunnel of life with no concern for the structure that
prevents the world from caving in on us?
Are we ignoring the rot of disrepair that
has weakened the structure of our society, as those supporting beams and posts
in those abandoned Ohio mineshafts were weakened to the point of barely holding
back the earth from swallowing us forever?
We saw the light but ignored the danger
lurking in darkness.
Are our leaders moving
forward with childish tunnel vision?
Perhaps we are so focused on light
that promises individual safety and financial security while abandoning the need to
strengthen the tunnel as we crawl along. Perhaps we are venturing too deeply into
the darkness, protected only by beams and
timbers of uncertain strength?
Perhaps we need to more closely
examine the intricate structure
that keeps us safe in this present dangerous hour.
Or are we too focused on the way
of escape for ourselves individually?
Are we ignoring our
responsibility to love the children who must crawl along behind us through this
dangerous tunnel, threatened by the weakness of timbers and beams we are
refusing to repair as we scramble to deliver our individual selves from the
darkness?
Those same beams and timbers have
protected us in our journey thus far. Don’t we owe a responsibility to those
who follow after us to make their journey safer?
Are we too intent on reaching our
individual safety?
Are we shirking our
responsibility to love our neighbors who share the hazards of this journey with
us and the children who in years to come may find the tunnel’s beams and
timbers even weaker than they are today, all because we refuse to do our part?
Are we selfishly failing to
reduce the danger around us by refusing to repair walls of uncertain
construction that could be strengthened if we’d only make a unified effort?
Are we abandoning our
responsibility to make the tunnel safer for the children by ignoring our present
problems or selfishly insisting it’s too late or there is nothing we can do?
Are we getting through the tunnel on our own, protected by walls built by others
who went before us, while refusing to participate in the process of making the
tunnel stronger for those who must follow after us?
Are we relying on our own
strength and wisdom to find our way out of darkness guided only by a light in
the distance as our children venture more deeply into danger we refuse to
repair?
Where would we be if the
walls caved in? Where will our children be if the walls cave in? Who
is working to strengthen the walls? Who will replace the rotting timbers we
ignore in our selfish quest for light. Who is going to strengthen the tunnel so others can make their way safely from darkness into light?
How long can we remain in this present darkness before the walls cave
in on us?
Let us rebuild the eroding walls along the way so those who follow
will be protected from the darkness that threatens to crush us even now. Let us not be so focused on the
light at the end of the tunnel that we fail to see the need to work together in
this present age to make the tunnel safer for those who will follow
us on their journey toward safety.
Let us work to repair the walls, strengthening others who are unable to see their way out of
difficulties, making safe passage to liberty for every soul, not merely by
pointing to the light ahead but by rebuilding the walls around us for the safety
of every soul who must crawl through this dangerous tunnel of life.
Pointing to the light ahead is
good. We must never lose sight of the light. Let us see the light clearly and
never lose sight of its promise.
But, let us do our job to make the passage
safer
for those who come after us. Let us be wise as serpents and harmless as
doves, not merely crawling through the darkness toward a distant light but
pausing now and then to make the protecting walls safer for those who follow. As we
help others find the
safety of their destination we will work together with wisdom to replace a rotten
timber now and then. We will take time to shore up a support here and there,
making the tunnel safer for those who follow us. We will strengthen the posts and
beams that protect us from destruction. Instead of cursing the crumbling
timbers that are allowing so many to be crushed in our world today, preventing
them from reaching the light we trust, we will learn to make the tunnel as
strong as we can while we’re still crawling together toward safety. Instead of complaining about the
creaking sounds above our heads and the gritty dirt sifting down on us as we
move slowly toward our individual goals, let us take a moment to exercise our
collective courage and
reach up to push a supporting member back in place, to add a bit of strength to
a beam that’s falling down, and perhaps to teach those who follow after us
that they need to trust the walls as much as they trust the light.
Make the journey safe for others.
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