Seeing Clearly
Taking the time to see clearly
by Rebecca Parkinson
Suitable for Whole School (Sec)
Aims
To encourage us to consider what people are like on the inside, rather than simply looking at their outward appearance.
Preparation and materials
- You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (Seeing Clearly) and the means to display them.
Note: you will also need to familiarize yourself with the illusions on the slides so that you can advise the students what to look for during the assembly – otherwise the effect may be lessened.
Assembly
- Explain to the students that you are going to show them several pictures. You want the students to look at them carefully because you will be asking them some questions.
- Show Slide 1.
Ask the students, ‘Can you count the black dots?’
The answer is that there are no black dots. - Show Slide 2.
Ask the students, ‘What can you see: an old woman or a young girl?’
If the students look for long enough, they should see both. Ask someone who can see both to demonstrate where they are on the screen. - Show Slide 3.
Ask the students, ‘Is this image moving?’
The answer is that it is not moving. - Show Slide 4.
Ask the students, ‘Is this one moving?’
Again, the answer is that it is not moving. - Show Slide 5.
Ask the students, ‘Are the lines in this image straight and parallel?’
The answer is that they are straight and parallel, although they do not appear to be. - Show Slide 6.
Ask the students, ‘Are the dots in this image pink?’
If you look at the large dots, they will appear pink. If, however, you stare at the small black dot in the middle, the large dots will appear to turn green. If you stare for long enough, you will see pink dots with a green one moving round. - These illusions are just for fun: the strange things that we experience usually occur because our eyes or brains are misled by the arrangement of colours, images, light and so on.
However, these illusions show us something important too: that what we think we see is not always what is really there. Sometimes, we are deceived!
We tend to accept what we see as truth. Often, this is correct, but sometimes, we get it wrong. This can be especially true when it comes to our judgment of people. - Ask the students to think of a time when they have tried to hide how they felt so that other people would not know their true feelings. It may be when they were embarrassed, so they laughed to avoid anyone knowing; or maybe they wanted to cry, but laughed instead. Maybe they are people who talk all the time to cover up the fact that they are really shy.
People often excel at putting on a show, looking one way on the outside, but feeling different on the inside. They are good at creating an illusion for other people.
Time for reflection
Explain to the students that we need to learn to take time when forming judgements about people. It is important to get to know them properly, not assume that we know them because of what they look like.
In the Bible, there is a story where the prophet Samuel goes to choose the next king of Israel from a family with eight sons. Samuel sees the eldest first. The first son is tall, handsome and looks like a future king, but God tells Samuel that this is not the right son, saying, ‘People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’ (1 Samuel 16.7) Samuel considers the rest of the sons, one by one, until eventually, God tells him to choose the youngest son, who is out in the field watching his father’s sheep. This boy was David, who eventually became the greatest king of Israel.
Emphasize the importance of considering what people are like on the inside rather than just going by their outward appearance.
Ask the students to think about the people seated around them.
- How many of them do they know well?
- Do they know what they like to eat?
- Do they know if they have brothers or sisters?
- Do they know where they live?
When we think about it, we know very little about most people! This means that we all need to take time to find out what people are like on the inside.
Encourage the students to take the time today to speak to someone new, or find out more about one of their friends.
Encourage them not to be influenced by outward appearance, but to take the time to get to know someone properly.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you that you have made us all so different.
Thank you for the variety of gifts, abilities and personalities in this room.
Please help us to be people who always look for the best in each other.
Please help us to take the time to get to know people, and not to judge them by what we see.
Amen.
