Eyes - Window to the soul.

Assalamu`alaikum (السلام عليكم) Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh, Brothers and Sisters.

I hope your day is going well today, InshaAllah. =]

Bismi-llāhi ar-raḥmāni ar-raḥīm (بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم)

This is a weird topic to start off with, but I'm trying to pour out any train of thought into this Blog to prevent stagnation.

Update: Preventing stagnation is not working out so well. I seem to have lost interest already.

I have brown eyes, and I finally found a perfect picture that best represents the color of my eyes. This is exactly how they look under the sunlight.

Eyes are beautiful. I believe everyone has the ability to to convey stories through their eyes. To me, hollow wrinkles around a person's eyes portray volumes of experience rather than symbol(s) of "senility." Growing up, I frequently dwelt on the thought that a person's eyes were windows to their soul. This proverb was pure childhood hearsay to me, so I never really bothered to assess or research it. However, my interest recently piqued as I was thinking of writing my first blog particularly on the topic of eyes. (Am I random or what?) So, I looked around and found out that there was partially-overwhelming evidence tracing back to the Bible. Yes, the Bible.

(Continued...)

June 18th, 2009

The references and allusion to this proverb has been referred to in the Gospel of Mathew.

Mathew (6:22-23 - King James Version):

22 - "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light."

23 - "But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"

Something I realize is that although the the proverb isn't exclusively mentioned in the Bible, the Bible is generally given full credit for the origin of this proverb. While the general consensus of this proverb may hold one spiritual source, there are many philosophical sources which can very well take credit for the originality of this proverb.

This is an excerpt from the website where I found some historical, and philosophical references to the origin of this proverb:

EYES ARE THE MIRROR (MIRRORS) OF THE SOUL --

"A person's thoughts can be ascertained by looking in his or her eyes."

The proverb has been traced back in English to 'Regiment of Life' (1545). But the proverb was known much earlier.

Cicero (106-43 B.C.) is quoted as saying, 'Ut imago est animi voltus sic indices oculi' (The face is a picture of the mind as the eyes are its interpreter).

"The old proverb, "The eyes are the windows of the soul," contains a powerful truth. Our eyes reveal whether our souls are spacious or cramped, hospitable or critical, compassionate or judgmental. The way we see other people is usually the way we see ourselves. If we have made peace with our flawed humanity and embraced our ragamuffin identity, we are able to tolerate in others what was previously unacceptable in ourselves." -- The Ragmuffin Gospel

The bottom line I'm trying to convey here is that a person's eyes can tell you more than you think they may. Some people have tragedy, innocence, happiness, and sadness all portrayed in one light -- one glance. And, all it takes is for us to pause and appreciate their stories.

When you look into the eyes of a homeless person, you may see his/her story unraveling right before your eyes, and your eyes may look back as a mirror to the life they've lead; immediately afterward, there may be a sense of thankfulness, relief, and guilt for what your eyes have mirrored compared to theirs. When you look into the eyes of an innocent, honest child, there may be an overwhelming mixture sadness and guilt, because your eyes may mirror a life full of regrets, compared to their lives, full of hope and innocence. When you look into the eyes of an elderly person, there may be a sense of jealousy because their eyes mirror wisdom and yours, naivety.

Take these mixture of emotions and stories conveyed through other people's eyes as lessons. Each person shares a part of their soul when mirrored with another person's glance, so make the best of these emotions and learn how to mirror their conveyed stories into your soul -- your glance.

A person's eyes can teach you more about their souls than you think -- they are after all, windows to their souls.

With (luv),

-Simply me