The Human Eye

Is it really a portal into an individual's soul? Does it really contain mystical powers, such as those used by magicians or hypnotists? Is the human eye more than it appears to be? I don't think so.

As a romantic notion, I can see how some people would think all of the above are true. The eye is a symbol of many things. Just as symbolic is the different colors of the iris, from bright blue to dark brown or black. I have a brown pair, which are nice in most people's eyes (pardon the pun), but everyone seems to prefer the lighter hues, especially the blue eyes---such as the ones my father had before he passed away.

He was a womanizer and I have no doubt that his sparkling, roguish blue eyes helped him seduce many women in his lifetime. He wooed my mother and later I resulted, so there's one piece of proof. But what is it about the eyes that make them seem so powerful? Why are both men and women drawn to them? There are many answers to these questions and each answer appeals to a different person, but here's my take on it...

EYES are proof that we are ALIVE. Forget about them being windows into the soul, part---eyes represent life itself. They move fluidly, they help us see, they scan the world around us, they give our brains the images we need to make sense of our world, and without eyes---we'd be literally and figuratively blind.

When we sleep, our eyes are shut. Sleep is like a little death. We visit other worlds in our dreams, but those worlds are not seen through our eyes, but our mind's eye. In death, the body lies stiff in a coffin with the eyes shut. Life has ended. Even if we are living, blood-shot eyes and red or bleary eyes suggest an unhealthy life. I know when I have lost many hours of sleep, my eyes make me look dead or like a zombie. What woman would find those kinds of eyes attractive? None, I suspect.

Eyes are like life monitors and show how vibrant we are---living and seeing all around us. As humans, we are attracted to lively people and people who have bright eyes, no matter their color. So even if the eyes reveal something about a person's soul, it is that they show not the soul, but the life currently being lived. And to those sparkling eyes an equally sparkling smile and you have a combination potent enough to lure any man or woman.

Next time, don't be shy. Look the other person in the eye. Don't wonder why. Just smile and say "hi."

~Andrew K.