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Introduction The words look and see mean the same, and are synonyms in broader sense but

in intricate view they are different in a subtle way. While the word see means to perceive, and understand, look means merely turn towards or focus towards an object, an appearance. For Example: The stranger is looking at us menacingly, did you see him? Yes, but here looks could be deceptive whereas see is perceptive. So, ultimately one can say that See is the word which asks for a deeper introspection and perception through observation where as Look is just a glimpse or glare of outward appearance which may or may not be genuine. With this explanation we can get a rough idea of Henry David Thoreaus Its not what you look at that matters, its what you see . i.e., one must not just glance and be deceived by a look but one must observe and perceive to see. There is still a lot to get from these words as this merely is a semantic explanation. As we saw the major difference is the importance given to observation where observation is the key to further discern these wise words. Why is observation important? Observation, an act or instance of regarding attentively, is the primary instrument to see deeply. From our childhood we have heard a lot of stories which prove the power of observation of how one must not go on outward looks for instance the Aesop Fables The Mountain and the Mouse, the Panchatantras The Lion and the Mouse, etc. With progress of the world from dark ages tilldate one can see the power of observation. Its easy to see that, even when one sees the same thing, we dont all see things in the same way. It can be so much worse if one isnt paying close attention to what one is looking at. How often have does one get into arguments about something you looked at, but didnt see as well as one probably should have. Observation was important earlier but has become most important for the conception of this complex world one lives in.

What does that mean? What do you see, or do you usually just look? Its only human to not to see everything. There is just too much to see and to process, so ones mind deletes that which it believes to be unnecessary. Malala Yousafzai, a young adult pupil of Pakistan is the youngest nominee for Nobel Prize for Peace, is an individual with this outlook; she has fought against the atrocities of Taliban with her life to build the pillar of womans right to education. She could have been like plenty others who have been bemoaning the misfortune of the Talibani rule and terror but her ability to not to just look at the problem but to see , and build against them has made her into a different person whom she is today. In a country like India which reveres the Female Sex as goddess and symbol of prosperity and where one has Epics like the Mahabharata and Ramayana describing the aftermath of demeaning and dishonoring a woman, one still has acts like Delhi, Jharkhand and Mumbai rape cases. These incidents make one to see and judge the look of men in the world of so called womens equality and safety on the one hand. On the other hand, a majority of the political parties and leaders in India hype for womens empowerment especially to impart education and provide reservations to them in every sphere of life yet women are treated indifferently and the womens reservation bill has not been passed till-date. Here, what it looks is that every leader in India desires that women to be empowered and reservation to be provided in all political forums but what actually we see is that that it is just the opposite because for one reason or the other reservation to women has been stalled and if at all it is provided it is given in installments. One can see under the panchayatiraj system where 50% reservation is provided to women and many women have become sarpanches but it is their husbands who wield more power than the women sarpanches. To outsiders, it looks as if the women are gaining ground in decision making process but factually seeing it is not the case. And there is a look in youngsters of technological era of now days that the problem of dalits belongs to the historical records where as if one really sees, it is still very much prevalent and sensitive issue, especially in rural India where the majority of population lives.

'Dalits can't wear footwear in Salem prison' By Express News Service - SALEM Published: 13th August 2013 09:47 AM An outfit has claimed that the Dalits are being discriminated against inside the Salem Central Jail. The activists alleged that while Dalits were being denied entry into prison offices wearing footwear, prisoners from the non-Dalit intermediary castes were being pampered by the prison administration. Condemning the discrimination and demanding an official inquiry into the caste-based discrimination, the Tamilaga Vazhakaringargal Manavar Kootamaippu conducted a protest demonstration here on Monday.

Incidents like this still keeps happening on one hand on the other hand provision and reservations provided for these people are exploited by majority of economically sound dalits. One can see here too there is another type of division among the dalit society to which they themselves are blind to see. The look one gets is that schemes and are being . On the world one of the first world country like USA which gives look of leadership and sets an example to the nations in reality has a scene of economic inequality on the legacy of discrimination between Afro-American, Latino and native American still persist after the 50yrs Speech of Martin Luther King. This was confessed by President Obama himself in a recent speech.
"The tendency to suggest somehow that government is taking something from you and giving it to somebody else and your problems will be solved if we just ignore them or don't help them ... is something that we have to constantly struggle against, whether we're black or white or whatever color we are," he said

(News credit THE HINDU, 25th Aug 2013) So in conclusion , wherever you are, you can see either an opportunity or a problem. You may see a limitation or challenge. Choose to see what wise people see. Begin by choosing to see a positive attribute in the people around you. As you look around you today, try to make a note of opportunities of making a difference. Soon, it will become natural for you to see opportunities where others see obstacles. Really, its not what you look at that matters, its what you see.

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