Blinded by the Colors

Out my kitchen window last week was a perfect double rainbow.

It was beautiful. I wanted my daughter to enjoy it also so I went to her room, where she was playing with several young children from the neighborhood. I led them all to the balcony, and their reactions were just what I was hoping for. They gasped, squealed, oohed and aaahed. And then one of them said,

"I need my mom's phone!"

She raced out the door, and two others followed. They all returned a few minutes later with their mother’s iPhones, then proceeded to gaze at the rainbow again through screens. 

It was fascinating, but not entirely surprising. Their generation has hardly ever been told “Happy Birthday!” “You’re going to be a big brother!” or “We’re going to Disneyland!” without a screen pointed at their face. Now they are the ones pointing. 

It caused me to wonder, what exactly do we miss when we experience life through a lens?

I did a little research, and while I don’t claim to understand the science, it has been discovered that the human eye can distinguish up to ten million colors. Ten million!

The number of colors a camera lens can distinguish? 

Three. Three!

Scientific proof that when we experience life through our lenses rather than our senses, we lose so much depth. Both literally and figuratively.

Something to remember, the next time capturing a moment seems more important than experiencing it.

If you could see what I see you'd be blinded by the colors
Yellow and red and orange and green, and at least a million others

-Rainbow, Kacey Musgraves