“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” -Helen Keller
To live life without sight must certainly be a struggle, yet also a privilege. Of course, hearing, smelling, and touching are necessities to adapt and accept the lost sense, but with that, you can truly see the beauty in all the world. To be quite honest, it started off very difficult, being blindfolded, but the turning point was something I realized through vision, not sight.
Blindness began as a vulnerability to me. My sight, once filled with bright lights and faces with varied expressions, suddenly altered into absolute darkness. The lively atmosphere in the gym while volleyball players “bumped, set and hit” quickly dimmed; not completely gone, just not as strong as before. With hesitation in my footsteps and my arms stretched out in front of me, I clumsily made my way throughout the gym.
How simple it is to walk down stairs with sight! But when blindfolded, you find yourself tripping over seats in front of you or holding onto an invisible shoulder for support, without familiarity of who it is! Needless to say, it was a struggle. But once on the bottom level with a friend by my side, we began to proceed to the exit door which led to the restroom. But, once again, I began tripping over peoples’ feet that were set out in the middle of the walkway. At least now I had help from my friend, Laura. I gave my insight on that very moment. Imagine having a disability as drastic as this and not having someone to lean on literally or metaphorically. Can you even bear to think of it without sadness entering?
During the night, Laura would name off every time someone began to stare at us. It had to have been over ten times. It was an irritated feeling, knowing that people are staring at you and talking about you. I pictured myself actually being blind and wondered how many more stares I would receive. I mean, can people really discard someone that is not like them? How mean the world can be, how society can be.
So after my hour had ended, I asked myself an obvious question that has probably been asked too many times. When you are actually in this position, what on earth motivates you? Drives you forward. No one understands or can relate to you, you surroundings are invisible, you live by caution, not by freedom and you cannot even see the beauty left in this world when society shows you different.
Comprehension hit me like a bolt of lightning. No one could have endured being blind if they had the same outlook I maintained. I needed confidence in myself that I could overcome this weakness and achieve everything I set my mind to, whether it was with or without sight. I also needed hope instead of just giving up on it getting easier. It gets worse before it gets better. I needed a positive attitude and if I had had that I would not have had such a complicated experience.
Then again, I’m sure every person on this earth has been negative and has given up once before. We must stick together, all of us; the sighted and the blind, the listeners and the deaf, the speakers and the mute. And most importantly, we must all use what God has blessed us with to the best of their abilities. If we could just stick together and do the best of our abilities we could all see the beauty through the people and not just the surroundings.
When I walked outside of the school today I closed my eyes and smiled. I heard the birds chirping, felt the sun beating down on my exposed skin and smelled the freshly cut grass. I had seen beauty through vision, not sight.
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” -Helen Keller
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