What would existence be like...

Originally posted by rbmorris
Help another indian grab undulating yellow zebras!

Normally Indians can't ensnare animals. Vishnu authorizes trapping at Rakhi.

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
What would existence be like...



What would existence be like for a child born with no senses... no sight, no taste, no smell, no hearing, no touch? During Thanksgiving

Week I was thinking about all of the many people, conveniences, blessings and things we all tend to take for granted. Our five senses

would probably rank quite high on such ...[text shortened]... to forfeit one, which would it be and which would be the last you'd like to lose?




🙂

My father lost most of his vision while serving in WW1. He was only 24 years old and had not met my mother yet. He married a gem! He was a very handsome man, and my three older sisters were all very beautiful. He maintained an interest in going to scenic areas and listening to the descriptions we gave. He was interested in knowing what our new dresses looked like....the colors, etc. And he always would feel of the fabric. We read books aloud to each other as girls because mom would read to him every night. We loved hearing her read the comic page in the newspapers, because she described every detail, and it gave us more appreciation of them.
My father-in-law lost his hearing in his later years. We felt he was missing out on more than my dad. No music to enjoy, no sound of the wind, or birds, or people voices. Just a humming noise at the most. But he loved to write letters. He loved to reminisce and tell jokes. I guess attitude it the important thing with any handicap.

Originally posted by ale1552
My father lost most of his vision while serving in WW1. He was only 24 years old and had not met my mother yet. He married a gem! He was a very handsome man, and my three older sisters were all very beautiful. He maintained an interest in going to scenic areas and listening to the descriptions we gave. He was interested in knowing what our new dresses looke ...[text shortened]... He loved to reminisce and tell jokes. I guess attitude it the important thing with any handicap.

I agree and would add that the attitude of those not "handicapped" is sometimes even more importent.

Originally posted by ale1552
My father lost most of his vision while serving in WW1. He was only 24 years old and had not met my mother yet. He married a gem! He was a very handsome man, and my three older sisters were all very beautiful. He maintained an interest in going to scenic areas and listening to the descriptions we gave. He was interested in knowing what our new dresses looke ...[text shortened]... He loved to reminisce and tell jokes. I guess attitude it the important thing with any handicap.

Attitude is certainly very important, but I believe there are several other important factors. Have you ever heard about Jacques Lusseyran? ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Lusseyran ) He became blind as a child, and he has written a very fascinating autobiography. One thing I found intriguing was that he was so extremely visual despite being blind. His inner vision was clearly very vivid and beautiful. I can imagine achieving something similar regarding sound if I would become deaf, but I don't think I would ever be able to develop such a degree of inner vision, because my ability to visualise is extremely poor. So I have had second thoughts about what would be worse to lose, sight or hearing (my first instinct would be to say that it would be worse to lose my hearing). I think I would always be able to remember the voices of people I am close to, the sound of different instruments, the sound of a brook etc. I would even be able to "hear" music I haven't heard before by reading it. If I would lose my sight, I think I would be able to retain much less. So I think your own abilities and preferences regarding different senses will also be a strong factor in how much you lose.

On the other hand, obviously a hearing loss is quite disastrous for a musician and music therapist, and would almost certainly mean the end of that career (there are deaf musicians and at least one deaf music therapist, but I think that only works if you are born deaf or have lost your hearing quite early). If I would lose my sight, I might still be able to work in this field. So in this way, losing my hearing would be a lot harder.

And of course a lot depends on the environment. Deaf people can be very isolated in a normal environment, but within the Deaf community they are neither isolated nor disabled.

Originally posted by Nordlys
Attitude is certainly very important, but I believe there are several other important factors. Have you ever heard about Jacques Lusseyran? ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Lusseyran ) He became blind as a child, and he has written a very fascinating autobiography. One thing I found intriguing was that he was so extremely visual despite being blind. Hi a normal environment, but within the Deaf community they are neither isolated nor disabled.

Wondering if you have experience in audio, vision, special needs or occupational therapy.

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
Wondering if you have experience in audio, vision, special needs or occupational therapy.

Helen Keller...being both blind and deaf....was an amazing person. When my dad was in Baltimore at the training school for blinded veterans in 1919-20 she came to the school and talked to them. She placed her fingers on my dad's lips and throat when he told her his name. She only missed it by a little.

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
What would existence be like...



What would existence be like for a child born with no senses... no sight, no taste, no smell, no hearing, no touch? During Thanksgiving

Week I was thinking about all of the many people, conveniences, blessings and things we all tend to take for granted. Our five senses

would probably rank quite high on such ...[text shortened]... to forfeit one, which would it be and which would be the last you'd like to lose?




🙂

Smell... I could do without smell.

Originally posted by Nordlys
As I mentioned in my previous post, the sense of touch and the sense of pain are separate senses that can be lost or missing separately. And as nice as it may sound, the loss of the sense of pain would likely be disastrous. I remember reading about a child who was born without a sense of pain, and IIRC he had already lost several fingers at the age of two. Pain is there for a reason.

My gosh, yes, I've seen that or something like that. Broken bones, gashes, self-harm :'(.

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
What would existence be like...



What would existence be like for a child born with no senses... no sight, no taste, no smell, no hearing, no touch? During Thanksgiving

Week I was thinking about all of the many people, conveniences, blessings and things we all tend to take for granted. Our five senses

would probably rank quite high on such ...[text shortened]... to forfeit one, which would it be and which would be the last you'd like to lose?




🙂

Smell

Hearing (I love music)

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
Wondering if you have experience in audio, vision, special needs or occupational therapy.

I only do music therapy, but I have been working together with "auditive / visual education teachers" (quotes because I don't know what exactly they are called in English), special education teachers and occupational therapists. I have worked with a few children with sensory disabilities (in most cases in connection with other disabilities).

Originally posted by Hand of Hecate
Smell... I could do without smell.

I think I might rather go for taste. While it would sometimes - quite often actually - be great not to have a sense of smell, I think I would miss it a lot. Smells are often closely connected to memories. And food would be much less fun to eat, although that would also be the case when you lose your sense of taste (not sure which one would be worse in that respect). My grandmother seemed to have lost most of her sense of smell when she was old, and she didn't seem to enjoy food very much, just eating it because you have to eat.

As for the sense that would be worst to lose, I suspect it would be touch. It's really hard to imagine how life would be without that sense, but I think it would affect the sense of self a lot more than the loss of any other senses. You wouldn't be able to feel the boundaries of your own body anymore. A lot of things that we mostly take for granted would probably become very difficult, like standing, walking, picking something up and holding it etc. Even if the sense of pain were still intact, I think the loss of the tactile sense would result in lots of injuries.

Originally posted by Sunburnt
My gosh, yes, I've seen that or something like that. Broken bones, gashes, self-harm :'(.

That is why lepers lose fingers, etc. The nerve-endings in their limbs no longer have feeling. So they are worn down from injuries and infection. At least, that is what I recall about that disease. There must be more to it than that, however.

Originally posted by Nordlys
I only do music therapy, but I have been working together with "auditive / visual education teachers" (quotes because I don't know what exactly they are called in English), special education teachers and occupational therapists. I have worked with a few children with sensory disabilities (in most cases in connection with other disabilities).

Reason I asked is because my wife devoted twenty years to this same compassionate field (Boston area hospital, dozen township outreach).