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These two verses by the poet Aníbal Núñez warn us that the act of seeing cannot be purely mechanical; it requires careful attention, observation, and circumspection. Let’s examine a case of not knowing how to see.
Susan Boyle took to the stage several times to try her luck: once in 1995 on Michael Barrymore’s show “My Kind of People”; and another time, with worldwide success known to all, on “Britain’s Got Talent” in 2009. In 1995, Barrymore and the audience laughed at her so much that they were truly attacking her human dignity, their own for laughing mercilessly and not “knowing how to see,” and Boyle’s for being ridiculed. In the second attempt in 2009, the initial attitude was potentially one of laughter, but respect prevailed and, once they heard her voice, she acquired dignity as if “by magic.” Susan Boyle, in that second appearance, was the portrait of the English saying “what you see is what you get,” which in Spanish we would commonly say “lo que hay” or “lo que ves es lo que hay” (what you see is what you get). And certainly what there was, what could be seen, was a rural woman in rural European clothing, foolish or illiterate, with almost no ability to speak, and the furthest thing from sensual. But what we also “knew how to see” was an example of overcoming that image through her voice and her singing. But is that really what we knew how to see? Is there something deeper that we cannot see?
In an interview, Mother Teresa makes profound observations about what she understands by “seeing.” She gives the example of the poor, and specifically the suffering in Calcutta, as something physical and material, in other words, something visible; whereas in many other parts of the developed world, suffering is much deeper and more hidden.
Can we see what is “unseen,” what is hidden behind the image of Susan Boyle or anyone else around us? What lenses do we need to see it? Mother Teresa offers us those lenses: “Calcutta, you can find them everywhere, but only if you have eyes not only to see, but above all to look.” Therefore, looking is more than just seeing; according to the Dictionary of the Spanish Language, it is observing someone’s actions, thinking about them, and judging them. Therefore, let us observe actions and in the end we will be able to see and “possess” or understand what we have before us. Teresa of Calcutta goes deeper into actions: “It is not what we do or how great we do it, but how much love we put into what we do.” Herein lies the key: love.
Let’s return to Susan Boyle and examine “her actions” more closely, this time through the “lens of love” provided by Mother Teresa. There is a profound reason why Susan Boyle re-entered the 2009 competition. In John McShane’s biography of Susan Boyle (Susan Boyle, Living the Dream), the singer says she did it for her mother. Susan was very dependent on her, and when she passed away, “I had to learn to do things for myself.” Boyle threw herself into the world of action, and the action of singing, “this was a promise I made to my mother, that I would do something with my singing. She is the reason I have continued singing. Just to see what I could do.” In fact, she recounts an anecdote: “We saw a soloist singing on TV just before she passed away, and I said, ‘Is that what you want me to do, Mom? And she said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Are you serious?’, and she said, ‘Of course I am.’ So Susan decided to do something about it.”
Susan Boyle is on the path of wanting or “knowing how to see” and of actions: “just to see what I could do.” But we still don’t have the deeper motive behind her actions. We need a more intimate look at this character; we need to know “her background.” We return to Teresa of Calcutta to find the answer. In this case, Teresa refers to herself and the true motive behind her actions: “they need to know me and know my background. I am what I am in the eyes of God. But it is very important for people to know the poor. The despised, the unloved, the uncared for, the lonely; this is a greater poverty.“ The true background of Teresa of Calcutta is, as she says, ”to find the presence of God through actions,“ and specifically, actions toward the materially and spiritually poor. That love for them, ”that love in action is the most real proof of the real presence of Christ.”
Now we understand better; these very simple words from Susan Boyle get to the heart of the matter: she says that one way to boost her confidence was “to tell myself that even though she—her mother—wasn’t physically there, she was mentally and spiritually there. That’s what keeps you going. I have my faith, which is the backbone of who I am, really.“ We can now ‘see’ Susan Boyle behind those ”ignorant village idiot” dresses or from the sequined dress of success. Despite being despised and unloved from her school days to her appearances on talent shows in 1995 and 2009, she was fortunate enough to retain her mother’s love, a love in action that is the real presence and “pillar” of God. Or in other words, like Mother Teresa, she is what she is in the eyes of God.
Ahora entendemos por qué los discípulos de Juan son capaces de contar “lo que han visto y oído” sobre las acciones de Jesús. Ante la pregunta
The disciples and we have learned to “know how to see” and to observe how blind and poor we are—as in the case of Susan Boyle or ourselves—yet still capable of seeing. And this is because, like Teresa of Calcutta, we have seen it with our own eyes, but through a love in action toward others, which is where the living presence of God is found. We have seen it, according to Mother Teresa, because “we are what we are in the eyes of God,” or because faith, as in the case of Susan Boyle, allows you to see the invisible, the living presence of her mother in the light of faith, “which is the pillar of who I truly am.”
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