The Invisible World
Perhaps I am being too pessimistic. I believe that to gain something is to lose something else. However, the reverse is also true.
Until I started interacting with people who are totally blind, the world of the blind seemed like something endlessly pitch-black and unimaginable. Of course, there are many limitations, physical difficulties, and disadvantages caused by not being able to see. However, through my interactions, I learned that there are more things that could be described as "seeing without seeing" than I had expected.
Take color, for example. One day, that person (a man) asked me, "I want to buy black fabric at a fabric store," and I thought, "Black...?" Since he is totally blind, he should naturally have never perceived the actual color "black." Even so, even if they have never seen it, everyone seems to know the color "black" and how that color functions in society as an image (he said he wanted to use the fabric as a cover for a machine at home). It is the same for "red" or "pink." They have acquired these concepts, including gender norms (I will not question their validity here).
On another day, he said, "Wow, the days have really gotten longer, haven't they?" and I froze again, thinking, "What does 'days are long' mean...?" So I asked him, "I don't know if I should ask this, and I apologize if it's rude, but do you ever perceive 'light'?"
I thought that "days are long" meant he recognized that sunlight remained until late. But he said quite nonchalantly that he doesn't see or feel it at all, and that he judges it by the warmth of the sunlight he receives. I thought, "I see."
Because we "see," we focus on or rely too much on our vision, and sometimes we forget or fail to fully utilize the existence and potential of our other senses.
For example, the sense of touch. I was never able to recognize the bumps of Braille, but Braille users can instantly perceive, symbolize, and turn them into characters. When they read Braille aloud, I am astonished by the speed. It is no different from the speed at which we read.
Braille has its own grammar or rules, and even though we are reading and writing the same Japanese, there is no distinction between hiragana, katakana, and kanji as we have. So, in addition to using spaces, they add specifications like "from here to here is this," including numbers, alphabets, and symbols. It is also astonishing that all of this is done with combinations of six dots. With those extremely limited stimuli of "combinations of six dots," they actively perform "reading," "writing," and in some cases, even research. Using both hands and looking ahead, everyone reads very naturally and quickly.
However, on the other hand, I can only recognize the same thing as a collection of dots, and even if I try touching those dots, I can only perceive them as "there are some bumps somewhere." Because there is no necessity, the sense is not sharpened.
Humans are very lazy animals; unused powers remain dormant, and even those that were used will quickly degenerate if you stop using them. Although it is irrelevant to me, the same is likely true for exercise or muscle training. Or, in the age of mobile phones and smartphones, we can no longer memorize friends' phone numbers that we used to be able to memorize as a matter of course.
I think the reason why people with visual impairments have often practiced massage since long ago is that they are superior in perception that replaces vision (especially touch), and they are able to feel even the trivial things that people who rely on their eyes cannot notice.
I got along well with the aforementioned totally blind person because I am a foodie. He was also quite a glutton, loved herb and spice dishes from all over the world, and we often talked about sourcing ingredients and cooking. By the way, he cooks for himself (and naturally shops for ingredients), attends things like spice clubs or world music clubs as a hobby, and goes abroad for academic presentations.
What surprised me even more was that he cultivated and harvested things himself (we were also gardening buddies), and he would send me photos (!) of what he was growing. Naturally, he cannot see the image in the photo he took. But he can take them, and he can show them to others.
It was a bit of a shock. In other words, so many things that those who can see assume cannot be done were simply being bypassed.
But when you think about it, it is natural. (I think it is different for those who lose their sight midway through life, but) whether or not those who can see think they are pitiful, for them, not having vision isthe norm, and living with measures based on that (substitution by other organs) is the default. In fact, they are often more flat or nonchalant about "not being able to see" than we are.
Of course, there are times when they need a companion, especially when going to a new place, and sometimes the photos of plants they took (because they can't see) show something that isn't a plant at all. Although there are such inconveniences and difficulties, there is also the aspect that they are actually very skilled at communication because of that.
What is good and what is bad? It cannot be said unconditionally.
There are times when we do not "understand" each other's state. But even then, if you ask and confirm, if you have that communication and relationship, even if you cannot understand completely, you can imagine, be considerate, and complement each other.
I was able to learn about the invisible world and gained many insights.
In these days when SDGs have become popular, I feel that the slogan "leave no one behind" is ringing out without any substance.
What is necessary to "leave no one behind" is notasserting and brandishing one's own rights while kicking others aside, but being considerate of both the other person and oneself.
What is needed is dialogue, knowledge, and rational action. Knowing the other, knowing oneself, searching for a better path together, and moving forward through trial and error.
Class 5 brain societywill never understand this, but I am writing it down.