Day 51: Sense-less Day

Day 51: Sense-less Day 

How to: Very dark glasses and a white cane
True Story: There is an extraordinary study by Marius Von Senden, called >>Space and Sight.<<  In it he examines the experiences of those born blind whose sight has recently been restored by cataract surgery.  For them, vision is a radical new experience.  They see the world as a field of colors.  One girl was so moved by its dazzling brilliance that she kept her eyes shut for two weeks, only opening them briefly now and again, to repeat >>Oh God!  How beautiful.<< Alas, she found it impossible to understand space, and kept bumping into these colors.  She was only ever happy with her eyes closed, pretending to be blind again.

Write down the pros and cons of this sense as you discover them. End of the day assessment : How crucial is my sense of sight to me __________/10.

This task fell on a work day so I couldn't go through the entire day pretending to be blind but I did do this for my morning.  I woke up and tried to do as much as I could with my eyes closed, shower (check), brush teeth (check), makeup and clothes ( partial check).  I already realized how hard it would be.  Since I have to look presentable I did open my eyes to see the damage.  Having been doing my makeup since I was young for dance it didn't look that bad, my eyeliner was a little thick though and had to do my mascara with open eyes.  Next I went down our stairs, five flights, with my eyes closed which was a slow and testing process, I'm glad no one came out of their apartment to deem me the crazy neighbor.  This experiment really just couldn't last long without some help from someone you can rely on.  Sounds of course are helpful but when you're not blind if you cross the street with your eyes closed and get hit by a car you didn't hear coming, its hard to explain why you were doing that.  Having just done the little bit I did though, and having the career I have I can tell you I'm a 10 in my dependence on sight.  I am so thankful I have it!