{"id":29267,"date":"2026-02-06T08:27:57","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T13:27:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/?p=29267"},"modified":"2026-02-06T08:28:03","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T13:28:03","slug":"its-easy-to-see-it-once-you-see-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/2026\/02\/its-easy-to-see-it-once-you-see-it\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s Easy to See It Once You See It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

[Image: “Audrey II (Milan Fashion Week),” by John E. Simpson. (Photo shared here under a Creative Commons License; for more information, see this page<\/a> at <\/em><\/em><\/em>RAMH.)<\/em><\/em>]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From whiskey river’s commonplace book<\/a><\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

                         The workshop…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The paper I write on or you
write on, every word we write,
every cross and twirl of the
pen, and the curious way we
write what we think, yet very
faintly…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In them realities for you and
me — in them poems for you
and me…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In them themes, hints, provokers.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

(Walt Whitman [source<\/a><\/em>])<\/p>\n\n\n\n

…and:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The way of seeing mountains and rivers differs according to the type of being that sees them. There are beings that see what we call water as a jeweled necklace. It does not mean however that they see a jeweled necklace as water\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What different types of beings see is different. And we should reflect on this fact. Is it that there are various ways of seeing an object? Or is it that we have mistaken various images for one object? We should concentrate every effort on understanding this question and then concentrate still more. Given this multitude of perspectives, it follows that training on the way of practice and verification must also not be merely of one or two kinds. The ultimate realm must have a thousand types, ten thousand kinds.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

(Dogen, translated by Carl Bielefeldt [source<\/a><\/em>])<\/p>\n\n\n\n

…and:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

All your nonsenses and truths, your finery and squaladoptions, combine and coalesce into one noise including laugh and whimper, scream and sigh, forever and forever repeating, in any tongue we care to choose, whatever lessened, separated message we want to hear. The Universe says simply, but with every possible complication, ‘Existence’ and it neither pressures us nor draws us out, except as we allow. It all boils down to nothing, and where we have the means and will to fix our reference within that flux, then there we are. Let me be part of that outrageous chaos… and I am.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

(Iain Banks [source<\/a><\/em>])<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From elsewhere:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

This very distinguished philosophy professor came out on the platform in front of this gang of students and took a bit of chalk and scrawled up a proposition in symbolic logic on the board. He turned to the audience and said, “Well now, ladies and gentlemen, I think you\u2019ll agree that that\u2019s obvious?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then he looked at it a bit more and started to scratch his head and after a while he said, “Excuse me!” And he disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About half an hour later he came back beaming all over his face and said triumphantly, “Yes, I was right\u2014it is<\/em> obvious!”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

(John Brunner [source<\/a><\/em>])<\/p>\n\n\n\n

…and:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The Mongolian countryside is government land. Instead of the patchwork of farms and fences that divide an American countryside, the land is an unbroken expanse, more a blanket than a quilt. On this rolling and largely treeless nation, Mongolian nomads\u2014who make up around a fifth of the population\u2014are free to set up camp and graze their herds where they wish. Likewise, you may drive wherever you wish. The countryside has few roads. Or is one big road. Feel like visiting the folks who live off by that stream in the distance? Turn the steering wheel and aim the car.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

(Mary Roach [source<\/a><\/em>])<\/p>\n\n\n\n

…and:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Drive<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are two copper spoons
beneath the blanket.
I am listening to my wife\u2019s
gentle breaths.
She is finally relaxed
after a long night of wrestling
in her sleep.
My hand is on her thigh
but I am thinking about
the perfect drive I hit
on number five at Southwind,
and the seven iron to the edge
of the green.
I replay the birdie putt trickling in
to the hole over and over again.
It could be on the golf channel
except there\u2019s no roaring crowd,
no exuberant fan screaming,
\u201cget in the hole!\u201d
no English accent whispering
into a microphone
about the significance of the shot,
how my steady play today
finally reflects my potential,
my work ethic, my readiness
for the moment.
She shifts her weight, the air between
our hips disappears.
I close my eyes.
I am no longer watching the flight
of the ball. I am the ball in flight.
I have been well struck. I am moving
with intention toward the earth.
This is not a game.
And it\u2019s us doing all the whispering.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

(Frank X Walker [source<\/a><\/em>])<\/p>\n\n\n\n

…and:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

# 32: <\/strong>From the “How to See 3D” section of the Magic Eye<\/em> books series’ FAQ<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hold the center of the printed image right up to your nose. It should be blurry. Focus as though you are looking through the image into the distance. Very slowly move the image away from your face until the two squares above the image turn into three squares. If you see four squares, move the image farther away from your face until you see three squares. If you see one or two squares, start over!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you clearly see three squares, hold the page still and the hidden image will magically appear. Once you perceive the hidden image and depth, you can look around the entire 3D image. The longer you look, the clearer the illusion becomes. The farther away you hold the page, the deeper it becomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, I don’t know about that — it’s probably just my own quirk, my own literal-mindedness, but…: all that printing, focusing, shuffling and shifting and squinting of paper — I’d rather just look at the world<\/em> for those minutes, yes?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

(JES, Maxims for Nostalgists<\/em>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[Image: “Audrey II (Milan Fashion Week),” by John E. Simpson. (Photo shared here under a Creative Commons License; for more information, see this page at RAMH.)] From whiskey river’s commonplace book:                          The workshop… The paper I write on or you write on, every word we write, every cross and twirl of the pen, and the curious way we write […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","h5ap_radio_sources":[],"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":3,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"federated","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Walt Whitman, Mary Roach, a Maxim for Nostalgists, et al.: 'It's Easy to See It Once You See It'","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[247,1393,4701,250,4878,251,4159],"tags":[471,793,1209,1743,1831,1907,3285,5428,6266,6267,6268,6269],"class_list":{"0":"post-29267","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ruminations","8":"category-whiskey-river-runningaftermyhat","9":"category-my-photography","10":"category-art","11":"category-fiction","12":"category-poetry-writing_cat","13":"category-essays","14":"tag-seeing","15":"tag-attention","16":"tag-illusion","17":"tag-john-brunner","18":"tag-walt-whitman","19":"tag-mary-roach","20":"tag-maxims-for-nostalgists","21":"tag-dogen-3","22":"tag-frank-x-walker","23":"tag-iain-banks","24":"tag-carl-bielefeldt","25":"tag-not-seeing","26":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/audreyii_johnesimpson_med.jpg?fit=1024%2C819&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6kZSG-7C3","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29267"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29267\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29290,"href":"https:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29267\/revisions\/29290"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}