Vision Leads – Development Follows
The following quotes from several individuals reflect the way I think about the critical importance of vision in overall development.
“Development may only be a part of our life as an adult, but it is EVERYTHING in the life of a child”. Paraphrase from Arnold Gesell, MD
“Our sense of sight is so precious, it’s foundational to how we connect and socialize, how we learn, and even our self-confidence.” Peter Menziuso, former president, Johnson and Johnson Vision
“The purpose of vision is to derive meaning and direct action.” Partial quote from Robert. Kraskin, OD
In order to derive meaning and direct action, vision must not only be an active process, but it must be a process that becomes increasingly influential throughout development. When vision is passive, it is often unprepared to quickly engage to easily gather sufficient information to drive meaning and direct action. Vision should become actively engaged - the instigator, leader, and influencer of action, not the follower.
Birth brings an infant into a world of unknown stimuli. Creative action must emerge in managing this new environment – finding different ways to explore this new and different environment. Vision must become the explorer and instigator of creative action and indeed, ALL ACTION. Creative actions emerge very early in life and continue to develop throughout life. Creativity is limited without engaging the processes of vision. It can be done but greater energy is required for creative engagement.
Daniel Seigel, MD – “Where attention goes, neural firing flows, and neural connection grows.” Mind: A Journey to the Heart of Being Human; 2017
I will add to this: Where vision goes, neural firing flows, and neural connections grow!
HOW the developing child goes about reaching to engage sets scaffolding and sets the trajectory from which future actions and engagements are shaped. The resultant drive to attention becomes the foundation on which patterns of action emerge. These patterns become default and become foundations. Thus, where vision goes, neural firing flows, and neural connections grow.
Likewise in development, the processes of vision must emerge the leader and instigator of action. With a change in visual surroundings, the developing infant LOOKS. When they hear a sound they LOOK to determine the origin. With a touch, they LOOK and also with a smell or taste, they LOOK. Action is rarely taken without first LOOKING and determining whether to ENGAGE and at what stage of engagement.
All reaches are intentional action processes that are easier and more efficient when being intentionally led by the action processes of vision. Any stimulus can initiate the individual’s reaction, but it is when they LOOK that things begin to have meaning. Thus, Vision becomes a Leader, Explorer, Instigator, Initiator, and Influencer of action, engagement, thinking, and understanding.
One LOOKS and ENGAGES to understand. As the visual process becomes more efficient through ENGAGEMENT, ALL processes become prepared to be more efficient. Vision is the means by which we emerge from within ourselves and is the Leader, Instigator, and Influencer of ACTION.
Vision must become the influencer and instigator of creative action. This begins very early in life and such recognition must not be limited. Curiosity and creativity are limited when the processes of vision are limited. Vision must emerge as the driver of the processes of development
Vision is a powerful and driving force in overall development. Vision is a leader, an influencer, an inspiration, and an instigator of action and engagement. When the foundational processes are insufficient for the task, simply measuring refraction will not be useful. The goal in management is to guide initial development, redirect development that is off typical trajectory, or restore previous foundations that have been disrupted. Throughout our examinations, we must ourselves look beyond the changes related to the past and focus on the possibilities for the future.
