simply shortsighted

Right from the age of 13, I was ‘branded’ as short-sighted… A heavy pair of lens came to stay perched up on my nose for the rest of my life.

And almost simultaneously, the word ‘far-sighted’ intrigued me, with a contra-distinguished meaning with the logical opposite of short-sighted, that is long-sighted.

I could see, even then, that eventually, I was going to ‘gain’ that bifocal long-sighted lens too! Neither of these seemed to solve the issue of becoming ‘far-sighted’.

In a sort of ‘preemptive strike’, the asker emphasized upon ‘brevity’ being the soul of wit. This, was despite the sincere efforts of the asker to add comments to each of the responses to the question, using the ‘additional-detailing’ facility in the answers forum.

Negation is one of the age old techniques to reach at the correct answer, when other techniques seem cumbersome. It is the subtle negation through these comments, and the insistence on the brevity that tickled and persuaded me to attempt with my answer.

I would not really insist that you really ‘need’ to go on to reach that answer, unless, sight is not yet a serious impediment!

With sight-full Regards,
Psn(25th July, 2010)

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100724063239AAIKvv0

Why, in your opinion or based on your personal experience, are people so short sighted?
People, individually and collectively, in family groups, communities and as nations, seem to grasp at the immediate short range goal without often considering the long range effects of their actions.We rush to obtain the newest technology, product, consumer good, gimmicks only to often find, further down the road that they are harmful in many ways yet when the next new thing or fad comes along, we rush out to get it?Developing nations have long watched the West abuse natural resources, pollute the air, land and water of this planet and create chaos is so doing yet they, like China, India, Vietnam and soon the nations of Africa are all rushing to do the same.Why are we like this?
I might add, "Why do we seek an escape from our responsibilities?", and "god did it" just doesn't work anymore.Things said simply are usually said best.

My answer:
Yes! "Things said simply are usually said best"!(Perhaps that is why, and due to a deeper understanding of this concept only too well, that great being "Mahatma Gandhi" happened to use those opening sentences in his personal letter to yet another great person saying thus: "I am writing this long letter, because I do not have the time to write a shorter one" !!!

"Perception" is the brief answer to the question......

Please look at a child at the age when it can just crawl. We have to bring that toy a little closer if the child does not happen to notice it at a distance,so that it would be "persuaded-to-crawl" and reach for the toy!
..
It is deeper perception that enabled the early men to 'think' of storing / preserving food grains for that "rainy-day", when all others around were contended with just plucking from trees/plants/shrubs and eating when ever driven by hunger
...
Our needs are driven by our present level of perception, while our requirement would be met only when our need or priority becomes 'deepening of perception'
...
An experienced and expert teacher at a famous business school had given a lecture (which is widely circulated as a mail 'forward' now...), where in he amply demonstrated the need to deepen the perception. For example, it is the short-sighted view of the 'exclusively camera-makers' who were thrown out of the market by the mobile manufacturers, who just added the image-capturing feature in the handsets!."

If we fail to get our priorities right "things" would catch up with us soon".... is the brief way of saying it.

(Well, if it 'seems' worth while, we "MAY" consider to try to look at what those simple-looking spiritual people tried to do with their lives. They focused evolving from within, confining technology, advancement, sophistication etc to just that 'within', out of a deep realisation that we are already the highest form of 'design' made out of the same materials that we try to re-mould, re-shape, and in the name of 'innovation' end up distorting the nature in so many ways!)