The Selfishness of a Blind Eye

Thanks to Eric Fulton for this writing prompt. Eric is the geo- tracking mastermind of Eric Fulton’s blog. If you haven’t seen his blog yet, check it out!

What happens when you stop ignoring red flags?

If I stopped ignoring red flags, I would likely have a great deal less drama in my life. By “nipping things in the bud,” I could eliminate potential conflicts before they ever take root. Life would simply be less stressful.

The “Why” Behind the Blindness

While it’s easy to blame passivity—that “go with the flow” attitude where we let things happen to us—I think the truth is often more complex. Sometimes, we ignore red flags because we are so focused on what we want on the other side of the issue that we choose not to see the obstacles. We get our hearts set on a goal, and in our desire to reach it, we don’t plan. We don’t set the money aside; we don’t look at the weather. We end up making adjustments on the fly, like scrambling for buses and trains through a snowstorm to Madison, because we were looking at the destination rather than the journey.

In those moments, we aren’t just being passive—we’re being selfish. We want what we want, so we ignore the “100% Policy” in favor of the immediate payoff.

The Price of “Going With the Flow”

This is especially true in my history with romantic relationships. If I had paid attention to the flags that popped up with my past partners, those chapters would have ended much sooner. I likely wouldn’t have married, and I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today. While I have zero regrets regarding my sons, it’s a sobering thought to realize that ignoring those flags set a course for my entire life.

Acknowledging a red flag doesn’t guarantee you’ll never fail, but it does mean you stop actively setting yourself up for it. It’s about choosing “Option C”—choosing yourself and your peace of mind over a poorly planned “want.”

P.S. Today marks Day 926 of this journey, and the laboratory is officially open. The newest episode of Rebuilding Rob: The Podcast just dropped alongside this post. It’s called “The Digital Paper Trail,” and it traces how a 6th-grade steno pad became the diagnostic tool for my entire rebuild. Listen now on Spotify or your favorite player—and stay tuned at 10:00 AM for the full visual breakdown and gallery here on the blog.

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AI art created with Google Gemini

The article “The Selfishness of a Blind Eye” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.