Everything around us have changed in the ‘blink of an eye’ including our social lives. As we ‘mask’ away, what comes along with it?
We are going through one of the most challenging times in the history of mankind. Not merely due to the presence of a rare pathogen engulfing human lives, but also the hard-hitting reality of our long lost social lives.
We ache to go back to parties, hug our loved ones, and just exist in the noisy crowd. The once- mechanical corporate handshake, is now a fantasy! Bizarre ain’t it?
While on a quick errand, a thought wandered in my thoughts. In the days from now, our faces are going to be concealed with an accessory — THE MASK. Our faces, the mirror to our souls is going to be partly hidden. The fashion industry might be brainstorming over tons of designs for this ‘ new piece’ and mapping out the dawn of a new trend. We might even need plenty of ‘MASK ‘ options to go with our outfits. But when we look closer, the essence of meeting a person in real-time will be taken to a whole new level.
We are just left with our eyes to emote. Just like the old saying, we will be stepping to a future where eyes speak more than a thousand words. Smiling through the eyes will be the new HELLO! We do emote through our eyes even now but we often fail to notice due to other facial micro-expressions. Eyes can never lie. Be it surprise or anger or love, our eyes play a pivotal role in bringing about the true expression on to our faces. Probably the reason why when we intend to lie to someone we just take our eyes somewhere else!
By merely being a sensory organ which of course gives us the power of vision, the eyes are the real game-changers of socializing. It acts as a window to the mind and soul. We gather a lot of information through our visual journey. Be it a book, or a movie or even a scenic spot, the primary element while indulging in such experiences lies in the process of ‘seeing’ it. And seeing, at most times, is believing.
Actors are often praised for their charismatic talent to emote with their eyes. This is quite a challenge as the eye expression tend to measure the believability of the portrayal. In other words, the actor would have imbibed the character into his soul and thus an effortless showcase of talent is brought about. Hence the diverse potential of our eyes should not be neglected.
In days to come, we are just left with eyes to emote and interact. Relationship gurus might even have to come up with new dating advice to go with this new form of ‘eye contact’ to up their game.
Since eyes are going to create an existential crisis, we might as well nurture and take good care of it while in lockdown. But we are away from the outside world and the only form of connecting we have, is with our ‘screens’
Be it work from home or binge-watching or swimming in the pool of online information or video calling or simply Instagramming. We are in dire need of ‘screens’ to stay sane in quarantine. But we aren’t left with too many options too are we?
Of all the senses, sight must be the most delightful. Helen Keller
These words came from an author and political activist who was both deaf and blind. But she imagined that sight was a far more delightful experience than the ability to hear. So shouldn’t we appreciate this gift of vision?
Considering the amount of toil the eyes go through in these days, it definitely needs special attention. Attention needn’t be always in the form of medication, but also could be some healthy hacks. Since a healthy living is the prime motto of the medical science of Ayurveda, the answers for healthy practices also lies in the same.
Ayurveda and its specialty branches(Salakyatantra) consider the eye to be the sensory organ of prime importance. And hence its protection is also very crucial. Since we are resorting to home-cooked meals lately, nutritive values are taken care of, to an extent. But since our eyes are tortured with long hours of bright screens we might need a little more. Just like advices for every other organ or diseases, Ayurveda has panned out various Do’s for a healthy eye. For example, ghee or clarified butter is a food article with a wide range of medicinal benefits for the mind, gut, skin, and eyes in Ayurveda. It is free from lactose and casein, which makes it a better option for people with intolerance for the same. It also acts as a good source of vitamin A. This could be attributed to the property of ghee which is conducive to the eyes.
There have been lot of researches on the ‘foot-eye’ connection in contexts of Posturology, but this was one of the unique concepts in Ayurveda dated back to centuries. Which is why a clean foot added on with oil application and pressure strokes has been mentioned in areas concerning eye pathology and treatment. Which also facilitates a sound sleep at night time!
The practice of applying Anjanam( collyrium) in the lower waterline, which is soothing to the hot elements of the eyes, is also a widely practiced regimen in the Ayurvedic way of living.
Conscious effort to blink our eyes and occasional cold water flushing while working is also a pro tip we need to keep in mind these days. Even the simplest of things like a good night’s sleep will act as a huge blessing. (this might come as a joke considering quarantine sleep-wake pattern :P).
Nevertheless, we require our eyes to be healthy more than ever. You might even get that dream job or get to woo your crush with just your eyes! Let there be no hindrance in the path between your eye and your soul.
Emote away !!
Where words are restrained, the eyes often talk a great deal.
Samuel Richardson
