Has anyone ever said to you that you have a blind spot? What does that mean? Literally a blind spot is (1) an area where a person’s view is obstructed or (2) an area in which a person lacks understanding or impartiality. I recently purchased a new car that deals very nicely with the first application, whereas the second is a bit of a challenge for many of us. This has given me pause to think about somethings.
The Blessings of Technology
My new car is remarkable. I had no idea how much technology had advanced since 2013 to detect and warn drivers about blind spots. With my previous automobile, I simply adjusted the side mirrors out a bit more toward the next lane to better detect cars in my blind spot. That worked fine.
However, with my new car—a 2024 Hyundai Palisade—both outside rearview mirrors display a red warning triangle in their corner when a car is detected in my blind spot. The car also has a heads-up display that reflects information in front of me on the inside of my windshield with a red fan warning me if a car is in my blind spot. If that isn’t enough, if I try to enter the lane were a car in is the blind spot, there’s an audible warning that beeps repeatedly and my steering then vibrates alerting me to stay in my current lane.
It’s all quite remarkable to me, a fellow whose first car was a 1964 Dodge Dart with a manual three speed shift, a straight six-cylinder engine, and zero frills. My only warning of blind spots then was my rearview mirror, my sense of what was around me, and occasionally a friend to tell me, “Hey, there a car over here.” I like the technology. And several months driving with it has made me grateful I have these warnings at work for me and my passengers.
Discovering Blind Spots
And of course, there are those other blind spots, the ones where we don’t readily see our own fallibility. We all have them. We wish we didn’t. I like to think that I’m a fairly understanding kind of person. I’ve benefited from a good education, was raised by good parents, and have had a great career as a soldier and legislator. And now I write a lot. (Started a new book, by the way.) What am I blind about? Answer. Lots.
Life, as some like to say, comes at you fast and you learn much about yourself, often through what you do not know. And gaining understanding sometimes reveals blind spots heretofore unknown to you and me. Sometimes that comes from learning more about another person or culture. Sometimes it’s something you just didn’t know. Ever said out loud, “Gee, I never knew that about you, or I would never have…?” Yep, me too. Or maybe this. “If I had known that before I did it, I wouldn’t have (fill in the blank).”
I recall a story of a general giving a speech about the future of war to an auditorium filled with young majors. In the process he said, “In life, sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know.” At which point one major turned to another and sarcastically said, “What did that guy just say?” His companion rejoindered without missing a beat, “He said we’re all going to be generals.” But when it comes to blind spots, sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know, maybe until some wise guy major tells you.
Blind Eyes of Convenience
Yet there are others. But one that we must all guard against are the blind spots we have when it comes to picking our leaders. It’s quite easy to jump on this or that political bandwagon to support a person that agrees with your ideology. That’s a very normal thing in politics. Particularly if the candidate espouses the things you want done in government. But there are blind spots in this as well.
This is why voters have to be so very careful not to ignore the possibility that you might have a blind spot of your own choosing. It may well be that we find ourselves supporting politicians who may fit our political views but have significant character flaws that simply don’t fit our world view, especially in ethics, morals, temperament, and how they treat others. And in this information age, we can learn a lot about candidates today that 30 years ago would have gone unnoticed. How do we deal with that?
Unfortunately, some, as the saying goes, “turn a blind eye” to it. Turning a blind eye may be convenient in politics, but in the process, you may miss the danger in the next lane. See any warning lights?
0 Comments