Hiding In Plain Sight

Of all the human senses we have, it is sight which we probably find the most useful. Sure, a sense of balance helps us keep our heads above our feet, a sense of taste helps us figure out what tastes good and what does not, a sense of smell helps our sense of taste along, a sense of touch helps us be in touch with our surroundings, and a sense of hearing allows us to enjoy music, apart from listening for anomalies.

However, seeing someone or something is one thing. Using one’s sensory input to come up with some output, usually carried out by our muscles, to solve a problem is a completely different thing altogether.

It is a completely amazing phenomenon. People in the top 1.55 percentiles of the country (among those who are eligible for entrance into public universities, that is) are unable to put two and two together, despite potential solutions to their problems staring them in the face, or rather, in this case, sitting with them at the same table. They see, but don’t look, or rather, don’t want to look. Or maybe it’s just they don’t see.

In the movie “The Sixth Sense”, the boy who is able to ghosts says that ghosts only see what they want to see. Maybe that is not only true of the ghosts in the movie, but also true of humanity in general. People only see what they want to see. They don’t look beneath, or look beyond the skin. Sometimes, it is absolutely exasperating; their potential solutions might be sitting right next to them, but they either refuse to see them, or they just refuse to acknowledge them as potential solutions.

Beggars can’t be choosers. As Spock of Star Trek has said more than once (in different universes, but that’s another story) “When everything else has been excluded, then whatever impossible, no matter how impossible, becomes possible”. When we run out of options, any option which we have should be exercised. This is what I call pulling out all the stops; we go all out to solve a particular problem. We consider any and all possibilities for the problem and also any and all solutions to the problem.

So I find it bizarre that there are still people who refuse to try every single solution when it comes to solving their problems, even when they are desperate. How hard is it to try every single solution? If you don’t succeed, you would have lost nothing; if you do succeed, you get to solve your problem.

No wonder our graduates aren’t the best in the world. Even at Pre-U level, their judgment, or rather problem solving skills leave much to be desired.

Malaysians are excellent complainers, but we never really take a look at ourselves in the mirror. We accuse each other of racism, yet do nothing to curb this problem among our families, or even ourselves. Racism is just one way of discriminating. No wonder as we get older, we get more and more judgmental; brought up in a society which lives together but yet is not united, we discriminate. So when we choose who to invite for social activities and who not to, we discriminate some more.

When we decide who to invite for a particular event, we sometimes have to choose who we want. Some events are meant to be attended by everyone in a particular social grouping; others are not. For the former, we invite indiscriminately, for the latter we choose who we want. Sometimes, it is perfectly understandable when we don’t get chosen for the other; lack of space, different social grouping considered, etc. However, when there is a lack of participants, and one is looking for people in the wider social group, one should consider everyone.

Not many people in Malaysia volunteer to do anything; answering questions, taking up positions, giving opinions. The list goes on, but the principle is the same – if you want someone to do something, or join you on an adventure, you have to invite them, or at the very least, give an open invitation. We don’t gatecrash, or volunteer our presence for anything at all. If we are not asked, we won’t move forward. Why? Due to the fact that we are trying to avoid a paiseh situation. More than that, most people who organize these gatherings only expect to see the people they invite present. Turning up uninvited is frowned upon, and no one likes to be in such a position.

Sometimes, our solutions play a game with us. They hide when we need them most. It’s the important document we have somehow misplaced, which we can’t see, but we know is somewhere in the vicinity. We need to get it fast, and we look again and again, but we still can’t find it.

When we are searching for it, we swear as heavily as possible, desperately finding it while the clock ticks away on us. It is so near, yet so far.

However, many a time our solutions are hiding in plain sight. It’s the method we don’t consider, but which we do know of that will solve our mathematical conundrum (normally this method is completing the square). It’s the place we forget to look, or take for granted is empty, where we will find our misplaced yet important documents.

They are right there, but we just don’t look at them, or consider the possibility they are there, even when all else is lost.

And when we find it, we take time to bask in our success of finding the item, and spend more time making sure the item won’t get lost again, even when we have a dozen other things to do, and regardless of how heavily we swore at our negligence or the item’s tendency to get lost.

But most importantly, it’s the people we forget to ask, yet who are sitting right next to us, eating at the same table with us, discussing where to go to university next, who will be the ones who we would able to drag to a social gathering.

Did I say “would”? Actually , it’s more like “could”, as most of the time, we are a tad too late by the time we realize it. People move on, finding groups who actually care about them, or who treat everyone equally (to a certain extant). People drift away. Relationships weaken, bonds weaken. Time and distance do what no problem can.

So the next time you have to consider another solution, look at the periphery. Expand your horizons. Look towards the sky, as who knows? Your solution could be found on another horizon.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking for solutions, things or people. Some are just waiting to be asked, or chosen.

So use your eyes. And your head. And don’t just see.

Analyze. Compute. Think.

Because,” They are right there, but we just don’t look at them, or consider the possibility they are there, even when all else is lost.”