Being Color Blind Regarding Ethnicity

Years ago, I suspected that one of my friends might have a vision difficulty, so I asked him: “Are you color blind?” He surprised me by asking if I referred to ethnic identification. We laughed, and he told me he was partially color blind. But he had a point to which I will return later.

So, optically-speaking, what does it mean to be color blind? Normally, color blindness is an inherited genetic vision problem; but aging, disease, sickness, or an injury can also trigger it. Sometimes color blindness can be a side-effect of medicine.

A color blind person has difficulty seeing primary colors, or a mix of these colors from which every other conceivable color comes. Three theories potentially define primary colors. One basic concept identifies red, blue, and green; and another theory classifies red, blue, and yellow as primary. A third theory includes red, blue, green, and yellow.

A popular belief is that color blind people cannot see any color at all, but that isn’t always correct. Therefore, the term is actually misleading, but we’ll use it for ease of understanding in this Reflection.

As various mixes of primary colors produce the different colors and hues, the light-receiving cones in the retinas of our eyes sense variations of the light spectrum which the brain interprets as the hundreds of possible colors. The highest concentration of these color-receiving cones is in the macula – the central part of the retina. Color blindness occurs when the cones don’t function properly.

One common method of diagnosing color blindness is by looking at patterns of variously colored dots and trying to decipher numbers, letters, or other patterns embedded therein. The patterns the person can or cannot recognize reveal the area of difficulty.

Color blindness may make people ineligible for some vocations, such as flying planes. But during World War II, the Army Air Corp (predecessor to the United States Air Force) hired color blind people to be “spotters” in planes because they would not be fooled by the camouflaging that was used to hide trucks, cannons, supplies, and soldiers.

What I found to be interesting is that some “color blind” people are not really color blind. Their eyes function properly and the retinas receive all available colors, but the individuals do not recognize color. The problem here is perception, not vision.

Let me get back to ethnic identification.

My eyes have been tested for color reception, and they came out very good. Also, with my eye-glasses, I have near 20-10 (near perfect) vision. But I am somewhat “color blind” regarding ethnicity. Many of my friends are not Caucasian or White, yet we call each other brother or sister. Ethnicity is not an issue and the love of Christ flows between us. As I interact with people from around the world, I see people made in the image of God. Even if the person isn’t a Christian, I still see someone whom Jesus loves and for whom Jesus died.

But there is another type of “color blindness.” As our spotters in the Army Air Corp in World War II were not fooled by enemy camouflage, God’s “color blind” people are not fooled by Satan’s deception in education, politics, and in the church.

They are not fooled by anti-Biblical teaching that is camouflaged by religious, philosophical, political, or educational rhetoric. They are not fooled by so-called political correctness that squelches Christianity while uplifting other religions and philosophies.

These folk are blessed by the Lord, but they often come under attack. The world rejects or hates them and misguided Christians misunderstand them. But these colorblind people, like the Apostle Paul and Billy Graham, are the ones who keep the faith in Almighty God alive, and spread it around the world.

If you have that kind of vision, don’t back down. People need to hear you.