[Greek] μυωπάζω (muōpazō), [Latin] myops, [Latin] improvidus: to fail to understand, to be myopic, to be short-sighted, cannot see far off, to see only what is near, to shut the eyes; 2Pet.1:9
When we see only what we want to see and when we cannot clearly see ahead.
Background Information:
2Peter: This book was written for the purposes of encouraging the Christians in the provinces of Asia Minor. These Christians were threatened by false teachers, false doctrines, and Gnosticism. The author exhorted the Christians to remain faithful to the true teachings of the Church. In his greeting, the author prayed that these Christians receive an abundance of knowledge of Jesus and God. It is through this knowledge that one can obtain a share in the divine nature. Seeking knowledge was a highly sought Hellenistic value.
Scripture:
“Anyone who lacks them is blind and shortsighted, forgetful of the cleansing of past sins.” 2Pet.1:9
The writer encouraged the Christians to supplement their faith with virtue, knowledge, self-control, endurance, devotion, and love. This passage deals with spiritual blindness. This person does not understand that he needed to be cleansed from his sins. He does not pay attention or does not want to see it. He sees only what he wants to see.
Etymology: The Latin adjective myops means short-sightedness (near-sightedness). The Latin adjective improvidus means sudden, unsuspecting, and unprepared. Improvidus consists of (im-) not and (-providere) to provide, to foresee, to look after, and to be cautious. Improvident means lacking foresight and not looking ahead.
Short-sighted quotes:
“The eyes are useless when the mind is blind.” Unknown
“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” Helen Keller
“Materialistic perception of life makes us spiritually shortsighted.” Horace Walpole
“Society today is being fragmented by a way of thinking [relativism] that is inherently short-sighted because it disregard the full horizon of truth- the truth about God and about us.” Pope Benedict XVI
“It seems that not being religious is a form of risk-taking, consistent with other patterns of short-sighted behavior.” Rodney Stark
“I am very short-sighted, and if I don’t like a situation, I take my glasses off.” Jenny Eclair
Conclusion:
Myopia, myopic, provide, providential, provision, improvident
It was interesting to discover that this term originally meant to fail to understand. This helped me to “see” that there is such a thing as spiritual blindness. Depending on the circumstances, this spiritual blindness can be intentional or unintentional.
This spiritual blindness may result because we cannot see the big picture of our situation. Perhaps our path ahead is very blurry. Perhaps we only see what we want to see. Now today some of us experience this as nearsightedness. Prescription glasses can easily solve this problem. If it was only that simple for getting a prescription for spiritual blindness….
We now live in secular post-Christian society where many are not faithful to the teachings of the Church.
Update: Pope Benedict XVI rightfully points out that our society is often influenced by the dictatorship of relativism where each person advocates (only sees) his own truth.
In seeing one’s own truth, this allows or enables one to decide for himself (herself) what gender/sex to identify as (aside from objective reality).
Many people still are unaware or cannot come to terms with seeing that the devil seeks to undermine God’s design for creation and procreation. As a result, we are now experiencing the breakdown of traditional marriage, abortion, gay marriage, homosexuality, and gender ideology and confusion.
Many people, only concerned about the right to do these actions (only seeing what is near), often cannot clearly see ahead the moral consequences of such actions. Each one of us will ultimately be judged by God for our sinful actions. [Abortion, gay marriage, euthanasia, etc.]
A woke Bud Light marketing executive, inserting transgenderism with its beer product, could not see that this would offend many of Bud Light’s customers. Bud Light has never recovered from this epic fail.
Miller Lite, seeking to create some new good sh#t, at least had the sense to remove its ads before greater damage was done to its brand.
Target, selling a questionable swimsuit line, has a ‘proverbial target’ on its back from customers. Customers are already to starting to boycott.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed off on a blacks’ reparations petition but failed to see the expensive cost of such an undertaking.
Black reparations supporters are naive in thinking such a costly proposal will be ever be approved by Governor Newsom.
Many Democrats and Progressive are short-sighted in thinking that the southern US border is secure.
The NAACP issues travel advisories in Florida but ignores blacks’ safety concerns in democratically controlled US cities. The NAACP fails to see that this is a such a political gimmick.
The current woke culture continues to view history from a naive and short-sided perspective. Instead of having a more nuanced understanding that cultural values naturally evolve over time, the woke culture looks at history from a childish perspective.
Gender ideology (transgenderism) advocates are deluding themselves in disregarding the objective reality that God created only two sexes: male and female.
Church leaders advocating the ending of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) are short-sighted in thinking that this will stop Catholics’ desire for traditional worship and practices.
Many Church leaders are short-sighted in not only seeing the disastrous spiritual “fruits” of Vatican II but also in continuing these modernist practices. On the other hand, many Catholics are seeking a restoration and return to traditional practices.
The Los Angeles Dodgers organization, inviting the ‘Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’, evidently cannot see, refuse to see, or don’t even care that they are mocking Catholicism.
Next post: a post to remember (Memorial Day)
June 1: those who mock us