Identity #3: Retina scans

I'm a huge fan of Jethro Gibbs. I could write at length about the joys (guilty pleasures?) of the crime drama of which he is the star; but what is relevant here is that when the characters enter the most secure area of their office, they use a retina scan.

Much like our fingerprints, our retinas are unique. But how much of who we are is determined by what they help us see? I was listening to the radio in the car today and hearing about people (women, in this particular case) who have been hugely damaged by sights they have witnessed whilst on active service in the military. Clearly that kind of trauma will have an effect.

I think we're also affected by whether we see the humour in an everyday crisis; the beauty in a familiar sight; the opportunity in the middle of a challenge. Do we see the mundane or the supernatural explanation for events that take us by surprise? Do we simply see these things, or do we actively look for them?

Do these things form our identity? Or does our identity govern what we see?

I suspect it might be a little bit of both.