TUNNEL VISION and THE BLIND SPOT

For a species which only knows focusing – it is outside of our imagination.

Humans used their brains to survive. We focus, to learn, remember, and think. And abstract thought, whether rational or poetical, gave our imagination the ability to reach new understandings.

With our brilliant abstract focusing abilities we identified and eliminated danger. We made walls, warning signals, and weapons. We overcame the daily fears and insecurities which other animals have. We had no more need of panaral sensing.

Focusing is creative and exciting, attractive and purposeful. Humans are more successful with focusing, than all other species. Why should we be interested in how other animals sense?

It's useless for getting anywhere, doing anything, or being anyone. From our intensely focused way of life it seem's like just doing nothing.

Focusing penetrates and is penetrant. It always has a converging tendency which gets narrower, always becoming more fragmented and making more connecting bridges.

Focusing has no natural tendency to divergence or wholeness it can only acheive these by association and coordination.

So, we built associations into a network of understanding. A safe box.

We developed tunnel vision and live in our own echo chamber.

Our understanding of life is complete within its own parameters. We created an integrated picture of the world by excluding part of it.

And we cement this world view by training focused sensing from the earliest age, and silently suppressing our panaral awareness.

In this age of individuality few people have the ability to step outside the box, and do anything completely independent of herd mentality.

So we take photos of the scenery. If we start thinking about it, we focus on the memory of that landscape or river.

We fail to recognise that the landscape stimulated a different way of sensing which is independent of the environment. We are so busy focusing we just don't see it. We suffer a form of self-fulfilling tunnel vision.

Modern humans only consciously train their panaral vision for driving, but as always, focusing dominates. We focus on where we're going, mirrors, maps, and signs. The "peripheral" vision is only subliminal... and then as soon as we notice something subliminally – we focus on it.

Adult humans never use their panaral senses actively, except perhaps some autistic people.

Without walls blocking the view and lights flashing for attention, it would have been normal throughout the hour long walks to hunt or work, at times just being casuallly panaral, nothing special, nothing worth talking about...

In preliterate times it is very doubtful they had any words to distinguish between the different types of sensing.

Panoramic sensing describes what humans experience when they see a panorama. But even in modern times there is still no word to describe the way animals detect just the events happening, all the moving things, all the changes.

The lack of a clear, common, or scientific name always indicates a lack of cultural recognition.

Maybe it's too simple. Researchers seems to be looking for clever answers, new discoveries... but nothing which has been staring us in the face for centuries.

Panaral sensing has as many different intensities as focusing. And I'm sure everyone has experienced it to some extent.

At one extreme, gazing out into the void when daydreaming, depressed, or stoned.

Then, when walking in nature, or when cycling round in a relaxed way, the lack of an intense focal point opens up a central area of the panaral field.

But animals always stay still, and their lives depend on it, it's an intense awareness, it's not a casual experience.

And some ancient cultures appear to have practiced it.

If we were to mould the idea into our beliefs and make it part of feeling like a complete individual... it wouldn't work... we'd still be focusing.

Interstingly all religions originated outside i.e. the same place that panaral sensing originated. As religions became organised they started practicing in churches and temples – indoors where outside disturbances are excluded and panaral sensing is superfluous.

Mindfulness is usually applied to selective focusing on breathing or inner-body awareness – as with many meditation practices searching for a higher consciousness – such intensive focused practices aren't conducive to discovering panaral sensing.

Christianity seems to have the attitude that we're here to look after the animals, not the other way round. Christians seem to feel abomination at the idea we could learn something from animals... as though the next step would be public copulation. Some Jesuits clearly had some knowledge of the panara, but they combine it with highly mystical practices.

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