Making Yourself Invisible
As a youngster, I was fascinated by H. G. Wells’s novel about the invisible man. In order to make himself see-through, he took a drug that made every part of his body have the same refractive index as air. But, if no part of the body absorbs light, this would include the eyes. So the invisible man would also be blind, since seeing involves absorption of light by the retina.
The way animals become invisible is to use deception and camouflage, so that they look similar to their background. The tiny chameleon has the capacity to change colour, but not to the extent commonly believed. The nerve impulses that alter the concentration of pigments in the chameleon's skin are triggered by a number of things, such as change in temperature, light, and external threats. In addition to changing colour, a chameleon can alter its shape, to appear thin and flat like a leaf.
When humans disguise their presence with camouflage, they do a poor job, because they use a static image. To do a better job, they would need to build a whole body suit covered with thousands of tiny sensors. These would need to be programmed with feedback mechanisms to adjust the colour to mimic the background perfectly. Although this is perhaps technically possible today, it would need huge computer capacity and many complex holographic images.
So next time you wish to fade into the background, envy those chameleons.
There really are “invisible” people out there. Oh, they can’t make themselves physically invisible. They would never dream of doing anything so dramatic and spectacular. Nevertheless, they belong to an army of individuals who perform small and large deeds of courage and kindness, in quiet, unassuming ways. They never seek the lime-light, but if they stopped doing what they do, many of us would discover large “empty” spaces in our lives.
These are the behind-the-scenes people, hardly noticed at times, but supporting the efforts of more prominent individuals. The honours and rewards of their labours mostly go to others, at least for a time. Nevertheless they are a welcome relief from what I call the “peacock people,” always strutting about announcing their “most valuable” presence.
Perhaps you have become aware of one or more of these “invisible” people. A sincere word of appreciation would not be out of place.
There is a fictional story that nevertheless demonstrates the character of people with the unusual ability to make themselves “invisible.”
There was once a preacher with a truly remarkable ability to move people’s hearts. During the period of his long ministry, he turned the hearts of many to seek God and find peace. And in spite of his successes, he was a truly humble man.
When he died, he was ushered to the portals of heaven and presented with his crown, part of his reward for faithful service. The crown was of such beauty and brilliance, it was blinding. Yet, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed another crown. Turning to get a better view, he realized this other crown was ten thousand times more glorious than his own. Not at all jealous, but curious nevertheless, he asked the angel “to whom the crown might belong.”
“Oh, that is for Mrs. Jones,” replied the angel.
“You mean,” the preacher gasped incredulously, “that little old lady who used to fall asleep in my services?”
“Oh, she wasn’t sleeping,” rejoined the angel. “She was praying for you.” Whether or not you believe in Heaven, the “invisible” people are the ones who deserve the greatest rewards.
Christopher Shennan and Ron Hughes
© August 2004
