10 March, 2009

The Eyes Have It

Many people place a high value on eye sight.  This is the dominant sense.  It is the one that they depend upon most.  It is the one that many would keep over any other.  People depend upon the ability to see with their eyes. 

Every sense is important as I have learned through decades of first hand experience.  Each contributes to the whole.  There are times when I would like everyone to fully understand this concept.  Perhaps if people lived without this or that sense for a week, they might understand the importance that each sense plays; they might understand the role of instinct and intuition that much more. 

Eyes…the windows to the soul…

Eyes… our eyes met across a crowded room…

Eyes… we look deeply into one another’s eyes…

I often wonder how this or that person would survive without their eye sight – or even with extremely limited eye sight?  Would he or she be lost without that ability to “see” the world around them?  Would they be lost in the world of romance without the ability to make eye contact? 

The Diva is sight dependent, which drives me crazy at times.  I want to believe that with time, in time, she will learn to trust her other senses and rely more upon the input of each and her instincts over just what she can see.  For right now though, she depends heavily on her eyes.  It is easier to believe something you can see; it is easier to live in a world where everything appears to be exactly as it is seen. 

It is easy and natural to depend largely on sight.  It is the sense that we notice above and beyond everything else.  Sight demands our attention in so many situations.  It gives us the freedom to drive, to read, to engage in activities, to pick up men and women… We rely heavily on this single sense.

Some of the other senses are pushed to the side.  I mean, honestly, do we notice the sense of taste or the sense of smell throughout our waking hours?  And touch is just… well, it doesn’t have the impact that hearing or sight have in our daily lives.  Would we miss touch, sure, but not to the extent that we would miss one of the two big ones. 

The loss of sight changes our world drastically.  The loss of sight requires us to live and think differently.  That said, its loss, like the loss of anything, doesn’t mean that  life ends.  It simply means that a different life begins.  I have poor sight, but have great instincts – these instincts have saved my daughter and I from injury quite a few times.  My instincts came into play in situations involving someone who was relying upon sight… and yet not seeing…

I love my eyes.  I love that my daughter can see all that lies within her world… the good and the bad.  I miss not being able to make eye contact or to feel that sizzle across a crowded room – hey I miss seeing what lies on the other side of the room.  That said, I love the role that my instincts play in my life.  I love that I am not dependent upon one sense, but use each.  I love that I have learned to see with my heart more than with my eyes. 

 

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are right that instincts and intuition play important roles. I can say this: I had "hot dates" with three women in recent weeks, and only with one of them did my intuition tell me she was "right" for me to get involved with further. I'm trying to follow that intuition now.

Anonymous said...

I thrive so much on touch, that I think I would shrivel up and die, if I could not feel another person's touch.

Mama Llama said...

Touch is equally important to me, as mentioned above. But if it is an irritating, bothersome and obligatory touch rather than a soothing, caring one, I would prefer to be without.

I have long said I would rather lose my sight over my hearing, if I ever were to have to choose. I could not imagine my life without music, and would feel so alone not being able to hear anything but the thoughts within my head. I was once told by a dear man in my life that the first he heard, before setting eyes upon me, was my voice from around the corner. Entranced, (his words, not mine) he entered where I was and met me. He was the great love of my life.

Just sayin'...

Be well, TE.

Anonymous said...

You are right, instinct and intuition are often so crowded by sight, and even our other senses. I think having you to remind your daughter of that will ultimately let her learn the best parts of both. It certainly reminds me.