Blind Eye No More

There are times when habit is good. Familiarity, routine, some sort of pattern – there can be times when it’s nice to know exactly what’s going to happen, to not be surprised or frazzled by the unexpected because there’s really nothing that would be considered strange or unbelievable.

But while there are days when routine is desirably uncomplicated and free of drama, it can get uninteresting. If there’s no change, then like de Botton says, you become “habituated and therefore blind to” the nuances in the environment surrounding you. Things become so monotonous that even if something striking occurs, the expectation that nothing unexpected will happen destroys the possibility of noticing the change.

The first time I drastically changed my surroundings was when I moved to the United States for college. It was a huge transition. I found myself living in a culture that was unlike anything I was accustomed to, thrust into an unknown world. Things were so different, and the culture shock was severe. While I can draw up a laundry list of the pros and cons, what is certain is that it forever shaped my outlook on the world. And when I flew home for Christmas break, I went back with a newfound appreciation of my home city. I was more observant to what was around and more sensitive to the changes that have been occurring. I was looking at something so familiar with a new pair of glasses on, and that made it suddenly so different. By mixing up the scenery every few months, it all changed.

Prague adds another layer to the experience. The months here have exposed us all to a culture and history that was once upon a time so foreign, and we fly back to our homes having done and seen a brand new side of the world. I know the first week home will be strange – on the one hand, it’s like you never left. But when you think about all that has happened in the span of a few months, it becomes surreal. And although you may have ended up back where you started, it’s not the same. It may look familiar, but I don’t know… all I know is that I’ll be regarding it with a little bit of newfound distance.