Land of the Blind, Home of the...

"In the land of the blind, the one eyed man would be king" If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that and thought "If only they knew..."... Well, there will be no further excuses, for now I will tell you, so then you will know, without all of those ellipsis...

Imagine, if you will, in a world where everyone was blind, what would life be like for these people in this world? People would know where others were by the noises that they made. People who wanted to practice subterfuge would be able to cast sounds, to make it sound like they were somewhere else. "I couldn't have done it officer, everyone could plainly hear that I was over there." How about plays and other forms of entertainment? Actors would be all over the stage, but yet it would be how they threw their voices to give the illusion (what is the word for a sound illusion?) of being other places on the stage, and make sounds to make the audience believe something else was happening. Special Effects in "movies" would be cool sound distortions. Etc.

Now, imagine if you will, a person with sight being born into this world. He would know that he could sense things that others couldn't, but he couldn't describe them to anyone else. There would be no words for what he senses, so how could he find others like himself? "But" you say, "why would he want to, the quote says that he would be King! To rule over others! Bwah, ha ha!" Let's put that aside for a moment.

What would the aforementioned world be like to this person born unto the sightless? People of lesser character would cozy up to him and try to rob or trick him. They would make it sound like they were far away, yet he could see them right there next to him. What could he do? "Everyone else in the world knows that you are way over there by the sounds that you are making, and yet I know it not to be true. I can see you stabbing me in the back!" All the felon would have to do is say "You are mad! I am way over here. I have witnesses." as he continues to assault this poor sighted fellow. Even the minor deceits that friends, family, and common folk do to keep privacy, etc, would be transparent to him, yet there would be nothing he could do or say about it.

What about plays and movies and such? Surely this god amongst blind men would have some solace in the venue of the arts! But he would be able to perceive more than everyone else, he could see the fakery so clearly, in ways that sound-only couldn't convey. He would see that the people are not were they sound to be. He would know that he is supposed to believe certain things are happening on stage or in the movie based on what he learned through socialization, but he couldn't easily ignore the input from his eyes without going mad, now could he? The blinds' plays would seem hollow and meaningless to him.

So, this sighted man could be King. But could he? He wouldn't understand most of what is going on around him, since he would have to figure out what others knew based on their limited senses, then try to talk as if that were real. He wouldn't enjoy any of the entertainment. He would see all of things that decent people keep to themselves. Indeed, if he wanted to, he could probably keep part of himself shutoff when dealing with others, though use the extra information to become King, but why? Why would he want to rule people he has nothing in common with? People who would argue every lest detail of his decisions because they couldn't see what he sees? And beyond that, what could these people offer him?

Would he want to marry one of their kind? Who would take someone so obviously mad? And if he found someone, he could never share the sights and wonders on his world with her - a life with someone he loved would be endlessly frustrating to both people. So, his only hope would be to rise to a comfortable position in the world, a place where he could cast his visual net out far enough in hopes of one day meeting others like him, but with no real way to really achieve that goal. He would have to watch everyone, see if anyone does something inconsistent with being blind. He would also have to do things, subtle things that the blind wouldn't notice, but something that he hopes another sighted people would see. He would have to fit in, while still being slightly out of sync in ways that he hopes would be obvious to another sighted person. Can you imagine his life like that? Can you still believe that the sighted man in the land of the blind would be a good thing, something that one would want for oneself or a loved one? The loneliness with the constant soul crushing hope of discovery? Bwah, ha, ha, indeed!

Next time you hear that tired old phrase, remember my words, and know that the above is what I think every time I hear them. The phrase actually is saying that people envy those who have something that they do not themselves have, but it doesn't take into account that a different life has different troubles. Sure, someone might have more of something than you have, but they can not enjoy life in the same way that you can.

Enjoy!

The Edward