--- content_date: 2020-04-02 feed: "DANIEL_ON_SLOPE" codex_section: "S03" codex_candidate: true source: Scotomaville source_file: 01.01-scotoma.pdf chapter: 01.01-scotoma total_pdf_pages: 6 volume: v1 title: Discover Your Blind Spots monomyth_stage: "02 - Call to Adventure" category: - awareness tags: - scotoma - blind-spots - awareness - perception - personal-growth - self-mastery - viktor-frankl - socrates - biology - shortcuts summary: I take the reader on the first step of leaving Scotomaville by introducing scotomas as both physical and psychological blind spots. Using a hands-on eye exercise and quotes from Viktor Frankl and Socrates, I highlight how our biology leads us to take shortcuts in perception, making us vulnerable to manipulation. This chapter is an invitation to awareness, reflection, and sharing the discovery as the beginning of our personal expedition toward self-mastery. qr_links: - https://youtu.be/pLplwGzGFJ4 - https://youtu.be/0O1PfMbKCjQ --- # 01.01-scotoma ## Spread 001 [p1–p2] **type:** image_heavy | **img coverage:** L=39% R=6% **heading:** Leaving SCOTOMAVILLE ### Visual description The left page features a large, full-bleed documentary photograph of a mud-covered off-road vehicle (likely a buggy or truck) in rugged, wet terrain, with visible wheels, chassis, and a driver partially visible inside the cab. A vertical pull-quote runs along the left edge: “WHEN WE ARE NO LONGER ABLE TO CHANGE A SITUATION, WE ARE CHALLENGED TO CHANGE OURSELVES.” VIKTOR FRANKL. The right page is mostly white space containing a clear anatomical diagram of a human eye, with the optic nerve and blind spot labeled “here,” positioned near the bottom right. Large text elements include the title “SCOTOMA?” at the top, the section header “DISCOVER YOUR BLIND SPOTS .01,” and “VOL 1 AWARENESS.” The right page also displays a black “+” symbol and a small dot “•” near the top, accompanied by step-by-step instructions for a blind-spot demonstration exercise using the book itself. The left image feels documentary and grounded in the journey’s real-world footage, while the eye diagram is purely diagrammatic and illustrative of the physiological concept. The overall spread uses the muddy action photo as a prompt to demonstrate missed details, directly tying into the chapter’s theme of scotomas. ### Left page Leaving SCOTOMAVILLE 24 SCOTOMA? VOL 1 AWARENESS Have you ever asked yourself “what did I not see?” At this moment, become aware of your attention. Take note of your feelings, and your self-talk. Take a moment to observe the image on the left. What do you see? Mud, grime, intense action? Can you imagine the noise? Do you recognize the driver? This is a glimpse of details we often miss in our daily lives. We have blind spots hidden from us since birth. But this blindness extends beyond our eyes. Others may exploit our unawareness, taking advantage of the shortcuts we instinctively make. The first time I saw my blind spots (scotomas), I learned far more was going on in and around me than I was comfort able knowing. I felt vulnerable. I knew I was hackable. Awareness of scotomas is essential for personal growth and critical for moving from ‘nowhere’ to ‘now here.’ The common name for a ‘scotoma’ is a blind spot. The problem isn’t that we have blind spots. The issue is that we ignore them. Are you ready to uncover the hidden truths in your life? This exploration can be a milestone by revealing that scotomas hold A scotoma is a blind-spot. All mammals are born with them. The problem is... hu mans ‘game’ our psychological scotomas. Sidestep the ‘hacking’ with awareness. “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” Viktor Frankl .01 DISCOVER YOUR BLIND SPOTS WHAT TO LEARN ### Right page Leaving SCOTOMAVILLE 25 us back, closing doors to the rewards and outcomes you deserve. In the back of our eyes are photo-receptors. These tiny nerve endings convert light into electrical signals. The signals travel along nerves that bundle together like a wiring harness before leaving the eye. Think of it like a drain cover in our eyes that blocks our view, yet our brain master fully fills in the gap, making us oblivious to what we can’t see. INSTRUCTIONS: Hold the centerfold of this book 8-12 inches in front of your nose. Hold the + in front of your right eye. Close (or cover) your left eye and fixate (stare) on the + with your right eye. You should be aware of the dot but resist the urge to look at it. Focus on the + Slowly move the book closer to your face while staring (fixating) at the +. At a range of 8-12 inches from the book, you will notice the dot on the right of the page disappears. Slowly move the book a little closer, and the dot should reappear. You’ll see the dot when the book spine is closer than 8” and further than 12” from your nose. Slowly move the book from near to far, and the dot will become visible. Be patient doing this. Rushing through this will spoil it. So instead, watch me demonstrate this in the video by scanning the QR code found on the worksheet spread (pages 28-29). + . ## Spread 002 [p3–p4] **type:** image_heavy | **img coverage:** L=48% R=7% **heading:** “awareness isn’t ### Visual description The left page of the spread is dominated by a large, full-bleed color photograph of a small off-road buggy or remote-controlled vehicle completely encased in thick brown mud, with visible suspension, roll cage, wheels, and mechanical parts all coated in dripping, splattered earth as it moves through a muddy pit. Mud flies upward from the tires, and the background shows a churned, wet dirt environment with no people present. Above the image, a bold black sans-serif quote spans the top of both pages inside a white rectangular frame with dark gray accents: “awareness isn’t it’s our biology” on the left and “our challenge... taking shortcuts!” on the right. The right page contains body text beginning with a centered Socrates quote in all caps: “I KNOW THAT I AM INTELLIGENT BECAUSE I KNOW THAT I KNOW NOTHING.” SOCRATES, followed by several paragraphs of body text discussing perception, scotoma, and human biology. Footers at the bottom of both pages read “LEAVING SCOTOMAVILLE” with page numbers 26 on the left and 27 on the right. The central photograph has a documentary style, capturing a real-world scene of a vehicle in extreme muddy conditions, which creates a visual juxtaposition with the chapter’s theme of biological limitations and shortcuts in awareness. ### Left page “awareness isn’t it’s our biology Leaving SCOTOMAVILLE 26 ### Right page Leaving SCOTOMAVILLE 27 “I know that I am intelligent because I know that I know nothing.” Socrates our challenge... taking shortcuts!” Seeing things as they are can be a super-power. We can re-frame wonky perceptions and false beliefs with practice. We have the power to change our minds. Physicist David Deutsch emphasizes the importance of ‘explanatory knowledge,’ the human ability to understand and interpret the world around us. Unlike animals, humans can discern meaning and intention, as in recognizing a dog’s loyalty and companionship through its actions. But every strength comes with a vulnerability. Even the power of human perception can be exploited by machine learning techniques, as our brain’s efficiency becomes a double-edged sword. For example, our brain efficiently operates on 20 watts of energy. That’s because food used to be scarce. As a result of the default to use less energy, we jump to conclusions. When I share the scotoma card, I often start with a storyline about a ‘magic’ trick. I can evoke a strong emotional reaction when the dot disappears or reappears. They cry out as if we are standing on the Las Vegas strip, and I’m a magician! I further puzzle them by explaining that I am gaming them because I know them better than they know themselves. I conclude by accepting the burden of proof, the Onus Probandi, and revealing the truth. The real magic is in understanding how our eyes and brain can deceive us. Unraveling this mystery isn’t just enlightening; it’s our defense against being manipulated. ## Spread 003 [p5–p6] **type:** text_only | **img coverage:** L=0% R=15% **heading:** Understanding and Overcoming Blind Spots – A Personal Expedition: **urls:** `https://youtu.be/` `https://youtu.be/` ### Left page YOURT Understanding and Overcoming Blind Spots – A Personal Expedition: Our journey through life is marked by what we see and what we fail to see. Uncovering our scotomas – our blind spots – is more than a magic trick; it’s a path to deeper understanding and personal growth. Let’s take these steps together - leaving tyranny through literacy: Share the Discovery: Sharing the scotoma exercise isn’t just a novel experience; it’s a way to deepen your understanding of human perception and connect with others. Take an index card and guide your children, peers, or partner through the scotoma exercise. Notice their reactions, surprise, curiosity, and perhaps, even a touch of enlightenment. Reflect on Your Journey: Remember a time when life took an unexpected turn? A moment that shifted your perspective or altered your understand ing? Write down those experiences and attach emotional ‘tags’ or ‘labels.’ This is not mere reminiscence; it’s a way to recognize your own blind spots and learn from them. Embrace the Challenge: As Viktor Frankl once said, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s way.” Your scotomas are not weakness; they are a challenge. By recognizing them, you choose a path of self-awareness and self-mastery. Inspire Others: Finally, share your findings with those around you. By embracing and overcoming your own blind spots, you become a beacon for others to follow. In the words of Jim Rohn, “The only way it gets better for you is when you get better.” Your personal growth can inspire and lead others to break free from their own blind spots. Your expedition out of Scotomaville begins now. With courage and insight, you can turn obstacles into opportunities and transform the life you were handed into outcomes you design. “You’re very welcome, Daniel! I’m glad to hear that the revised content aligns with your vision and goals, both for the specific context of your work and your broader mission to encourage self-awareness and personal growth. Your use of the term “error-correcting trim-tab” illustrates a thoughtful approach to continuous improvement, akin to fine-tuning a complex system. It’s an apt metaphor, especially considering your focus on helping others understand and overcome their blind spots or “scotomas.” The journey you’re guiding readers on is both compelling and valuable, and I’m here to support you in any way I can.” REFLECT https://youtu.be/pLplwGzGFJ4 https://youtu.be/0O1PfMbKCjQ WATCH ### Right page RTURN Consider the thought by Marcel Proust below. I expanded my tagline after discovering his fabulous terms. Contribute your point of view with other readers in the DISCUSSION by scanning the QR. EXTRA CREDIT “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes.” A roughly translated citation from ‘La Prisonnière’, the fifth volume of ‘Remembrance of Things Past’ by Marcel Proust. To quote more fully: “A pair of wings, a different respiratory system, which enabled us to travel through space, would in no way help us, for if we visited Mars or Venus while keeping the same senses, they would clothe everything we could see in the same aspect as the things of the Earth. The only true voyage, the only bath in the Fountain of Youth, would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes, to see the universe through the eyes of another, of a hundred others, to see the hundred universes that each of them sees, that each of them is; and this we do, with great artists; with artists like these we do really fly from star to star.” DISCUSS