You might have guessed, “Software will eat your lunch”. The unseen are important. Since before time. When I saw Poinsettia (seen), I miss my Mom (unseen).
We have counted the votes, some places twice or thrice, looking for the Unseen while the Seen is staring at our faces. Decency and honor are important – Seen or unseen , up to us.
Science and Math are unseen, covid seen (recently).
Arts and music are unseen (we see their expressions and mouth muscles moving), yet last beyond our short time on Earth.
I went to the village of Ba-Chi. Saw a bunch of skeletons – relics of the Killing Fields. I saw Moon Rocks on display, and the charred heart of the burning monk. Those were “Seen”, but their “Unseen” live on, hit me like a hammer.
The other day, I helped my wife transfer data from her old I phone to a newer version. Apple told us to lay one over the other, and Lord and behold, the data look just like virus infecting one from the other piece of hardware. Apple did some magic there: making the Unseen visible.
Lately, we Skype each other or Zoom each other. No one saw no one. Yet we were all there, the Unseen yet seen, via virtual toast.
The Unseen are important: first child, first date. For me, my first toy, first bike and first dictionary. I remember them as if it were yesterday.
That ball is no where to be located. That bike perhaps rusty. and the dictionary – on my 19th birthday – has been updated many versions over; to include digital and more timely entries (covid??). I sent a hard copy to my daughter, just to reiterate the importance of holding something in your hands. The weight of words.
We live in a time and a society where we are confused between TO BE and TO HAVE, the unseen and the seen. Possession has become us, displacing and replacing what’s inside. My 81-year-old brother did not buy anything on Black Friday – both because of Covid (the Seen) and because he said he had made enough (purchasing) mistakes (buying more than what’s needed). Contentment.
Tony Hsieh has just died. He used to “deliver Happiness” to online shoes buyers. “Return and exchange, for free”. Try them on (turning the Unseen into the Seen). You might become First Lady (Imelda Maros famous for her 3,000 pair shoes collection).
Tony today is the Unseen, yet remains “Seen” in his loved ones’ memory.
When holidays come around, when I see Poinsettia, I remember my Mom. So real, so kind and decent. I hope this world picks up a page or two from her. Starting today, start with me; I want to help make her Unseen Seen.
Thang Nguyen 555 