<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best vision is insight\u201d (Malcolm S. Forbes).<\/p>\n
TO BE A PERSON OF VISION IS TO LEAD A LIFE OF ADDED OPPORTUNITY. Vision (let\u2019s define it as a combination of insight and imagination) opens doors that would otherwise be closed. Indeed, it opens doors that people without vision don\u2019t even know about, since they can\u2019t see them. William Shakespeare had more opportunity as a writer because he could \u201csee\u201d a kind of writing that had never been done. Henry Ford had more opportunity as a businessman because he could \u201csee\u201d a kind of manufacturing that didn\u2019t exist. Helen Keller had more opportunity as a human being because she could \u201csee\u201d a way of living that nobody thought was possible. To be a person of vision is to lead \u2014 it bears repeating \u2014 a life of added opportunity.<\/p>\n
Two kinds of vision are especially valuable.<\/p>\n
1. The ability to see what should be done.<\/em> This is the vision of those who have wisdom, discernment, and prudence. With it, we can distinguish between good and evil, wisdom and folly, helping and hurting.<\/p>\n 2. The ability to see what might be created.<\/em> Those with this vision have developed the qualities of imagination, creativity, and ingenuity. With it, we can envision works of art, industry, and education.<\/p>\n Actually, these two kinds of vision are related. It\u2019s impossible, really, to separate the intellect from the imagination. As Mark Twain said, \u201cYou can\u2019t depend on your judgment when your imagination is out of focus.\u201d Those who have an impoverished imagination often have a seriously disordered conscience, and by the same token, those whose imagination is not governed by conscience pollute the world more than they improve it. Intellect and imagination need each other.<\/p>\n The wonderful thing about vision, however, is that each of us can learn to have it. Vision doesn\u2019t come from our ancestors or our environment; it comes from our character, which is always a thing of choice. So if we want to improve our character, and thereby improve what we can \u201csee,\u201d we must choose to change our perspective: \u201cLook at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory\u201d (Betty Smith).<\/p>\n \u201cA rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral\u201d (Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00e9ry).<\/p>\n Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n