Blindness is My Blessing
Do I ever want my eyesight back?
It’s THE question that many people want to ask me. My blindness is my strength. I love the world that I live in. I am free of the constant visual judgments and because of that, I can consistently be myself.
Imagine entering a room full of people you don’t know. You scan the room and attempt to infer who exactly these people are based on what you see. I, on the other hand, enter a space and I don’t see what’s around me. I cannot discern facial expression, body language, or how people are perceiving me. The constraint of not seeing gives me the freedom of interacting and being my most authentic self while doing so.
A story that comes to mind is when I was at an airport with a friend, and it was time to pray. My friend was hesitant because there were so many people around, while I was unfazed, and suggested we just go for it. I can’t see how people are looking at me, any perception of judgement, or their stares. There’s a liberating power to that. My lack of sight lowers my concern for how people perceive me.
In networking situations, I do have the constraint of not being able to target who I want to connect with and end up conversing with whoever my cane hits. Those conversations tend to be the most beautiful and meaningful because I go in with zero assumptions or labels. There is no stress of having to have an exact conversation with a specific person. I am able to have organic interactions that don’t have a prescribed goal or outcome.
This lack of assumptions or labels allows both parties to bring their most authentic selves forward and create true synergy. Unfortunately, we live in a world where we size one another up within the first 7 seconds of meeting someone, which in turn prevents us from witnessing what the other has to offer.
According to a study conducted by Business Insider, people make assumptions about your socioeconomic status, trustworthiness, dominance, and aggressiveness; just by looking at your face. Those snap judgements can at times do more harm than good. Deciding whether or not to form a relationship with someone solely based on their face shape, robs both parties of connecting and potentially formulating a very valuable relationship.
My goal isn’t to tell people not to see, but rather I want you to experience the world! Whether it be auditory, visual, or olfactory, there is beauty to each experience, and you should relish in that! But don’t box people based on preconceived notions. Being blind has allowed me to recognize that when we don’t create labels or assumptions, we are able to connect better. It allows me to see the person for who they really are, not what I’ve already discerned in 3 seconds. We should approach people with a single assumption: this person has something beautiful to offer.
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