By Marjorie Young

I have gone through life encumbered with a rather curious condition; the inability to recognize people I know. I never thought to reveal this to anyone; it just seemed another weird ‘foible’ I am called upon to deal with…including my marked psychic abilities. However, this particular ‘handicap’ not only added to my sense of being ‘different’, but proved unendingly disconcerting, resulting in many an awkward social faux pas.
Examples abound. One in particular which drove home the extent of my impairment came while on an extended solo journey through Asia. Being on my own led me to meet all sorts of fascinating people, some of whom remain treasured friends to this day. At one point, I was staying in a village in western China, near the Afghan border. Only a handful of foreigners were present, and we were all required to stay in the same establishment; a ramshackle inn. A newcomer arrived, saw me and broke into a grin. “How wonderful to see you!” she exclaimed, chatting on for several minutes. I had absolutely no idea who she was, though clearly, this was someone I had crossed paths with on the road. Smiling self-consciously, I made small talk in return, but soon the truth became clear. “You don’t remember me, do you?” she challenged, more puzzled than offended. I had to confess this was true. “Well, about two weeks ago, we traveled together for five days!” she replied. As I made some sort of inept, flustered apology, my inner thought was ‘wow, this is ridiculous! How could I possibly not know her at all’)?!

Obviously, this sort of thing proves a marked disadvantage when going through life. Thankfully, I at least recognize close friends and family, but otherwise…no luck! Therefore, imagine my astonishment and relief when a recent ‘60 Minutes’ segment featured the subject of ‘Face Blindness’! It had a name! It was a real condition! Others suffered from it too! I watched in rapt attention interviews with fellow-sufferers, some of whom failed to identify photos of their own children! Medical science had only recently discovered this ‘syndrome’…for few would ever think to report it to their doctors (certainly I never did). The report mentioned no cures were in the offing…at least, not yet.

Apparently ‘misery loves company’ proves a truism, for it brought me immense comfort to know I wasn’t alone in this. Feeling free to bring up the topic for the first time, I was taken aback to discover both my nephew and brother are similarly ‘afflicted’ to varying degrees. Perhaps the condition is hereditary? But at the very least, it clearly exists out there in the wider world. It wasn’t just me!

All this caused me to reflect. While it’s a fact those with ‘Face Blindness’ cannot recognize people as a rule, those not similarly handicapped often fail to ‘see’ others with clarity either. We concoct our own version of them through a variety of personal prejudices, along with our negative or positive viewpoints. Truly ‘seeing’ is a gift requiring a measure of fair-mindedness, wisdom, and detachment. As a result, blindness plagues us all in myriad forms. If only it was a simple matter to discern the human heart rather than the outer ‘disguise.’ Hopefully, realization of my own form of blindness will compel me to perceive with more than my eyes; something I long for in any case. ‘Seeing is believing’ after all!

Marjorie is available for readings at the Ballard Sunday Market, her Ballard home, or by phone.
Email her: myballardpsychic@gmail.com
See her fantasy/adventure series: www.theboywithgoldeneyes.com
Follow her on Twitter: @psychicmargie