The Sayer and the Namer

I'm reading Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, and while I'm not quite finished with the entire novel, the most intriguing thought came in the prologue. Not only is it beautifully written, but it is articulated in a way that is really heart wrenching and stark in its reality. I'm not sure that these random excerpts from the prologue will make sense in short, but at least the impeccable language will be apparent:

"I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me...that invisibility to which I refer occurs because of a peculiar disposition of the eyes of those with whom I come in contact. A matter of the construction of their inner eyes, those eyes with which they look through their physical eyes upon reality...you ache with the need to convince yourself that you do exist in the real world...I remember that I am invisible and walk softly so as not to awaken the sleeping ones. Sometimes it is best not to awaken them; there are few things in the world as dangerous as sleepwalkers."

The comparison to the oppressed (in this case, black Americans before the Civil Rights movement) as being invisible and the oppressors as sleepwalkers was simply stunning to me. I don't know if I love it for its honesty or loathe it because it's close to home. There are numerous "invisible" people in the world with heartache so large we have to shield our eyes. Who are the most invisible?

Homeless?

Illiterate?

Diseased?

Mentally Ill/Disabled?

Orphans?

Divorcees?

Starving?

Perhaps it is the people who are truly "invisible" that we should make a conscious effort to serve. People who have no voice because their struggle isn't a political "hot topic" or the solution isn't an easy fix. People who Hollywood types or Oregon hipsters wouldn't embrace as a service project. The truly undesirable lot is the lot we should strive to make a difference for, because they are the ones with no voice, no advocate, no visibility. I don't necessarily have any practical "do it tomorrow" solutions to the invisibility of these and countless others, but I will unshield my eyes.