Is it normal the idea of being blind, deaf or deafblind depresses me?

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20 Comments

This is not going to be politically correct, but I need to let this out. It's kind of an odd thing to be fixated on, I know.

When I think about people being born blind, deaf or deaf-blind, it makes me feel very sad. I KNOW that people can have these conditions and still live happy and "fulfilling" lives. I have heard this many times. But...honestly...the thought of someone going their whole life without seeing beautiful colors or listening to wonderful music just makes me feel sick. Again, I know it sounds bad to admit this. It's just not fair that some people can't experience vision and or sound.

Is this normal to think? Is it normal to get upset about this?

Also, I'm working in a research lab and I will probably research in the future. Possibly I will even help in a treatment for deafness or blindness. This might help, but I still feel bad about it.

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87% Normal
Based on 23 votes (20 yes)
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Comments ( 20 )
  • Nokiot9
    9 years ago

    Yeah. Normal. It's extremely depressing to me to think that someone doesn't know what music sounds like, or the sound of the persons voice you love, or if they can't see their own face or don't know what color looks like, all they see or hear is black.

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  • Ixenkothar
    9 years ago

    It may not sound politically correct (Although I don't understand why this would be incorrect to say, maybe I am naive or am missing something) but sometimes you just have to say what is on your mind (within reason) because there are just some topics that come up where there are just not enough ways to say what you mean.

    You sound like a sympathetic and caring individual who thinks deeply about other people's problems and clearly does not mean to offend anyone and to me that sounds very normal. It is always normal to feel sad or miserable for people who are less fortunate in life than yourself.

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  • howaminotmyself
    9 years ago

    It's funny how when you don't know what you are missing, you don't know what you are missing.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      9 years ago

      Yeah, but if you ask any sighted person "Would you rather have been born blind?" What do you think the answer would be?

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      • howaminotmyself
        9 years ago

        That is beside the point and tells you nothing of the reality of the experience for the person born blind. Do you really think people who were born on a tropical island and have never left, miss the snow?

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        • Anonymous Post Author
          9 years ago

          Being born on a tropical island and never leaving it does not negate the fact that snow is wonderful...

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          • howaminotmyself
            9 years ago

            But you would never know.

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            • Anonymous Post Author
              9 years ago

              You're completely right about that. Still, I think it's pretty fucking sad.

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  • WhiteStallion
    9 years ago

    My eyesight isn't all that good so I'm closer to that reality. Its easy for our circumstances to change but that should make us invest more in people who suffer with such ailments... I support a few charities when I can but ultimately the thought of losing my faculties of sense is a nightmare.

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  • pastor_of_muppets
    9 years ago

    Helen Keller was a girl who was born blind and death. She went her whole life thinking that a dog was her cat named Mittens

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  • [Old Memory]
    9 years ago

    I know people with almost any type of disability you can imagine. Some function better than others and they all deal with symptoms differently. If I lost my sight I would be fucked because I rely on my vision for almost everything I do. I dont think i would adapt well, but some people do.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      9 years ago

      If you don't mind me asking, what have been your experiences with blind or deafblind people (if any)?

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      • [Old Memory]
        9 years ago

        I know a lot of blind people. My ex girlfriend was legally blind (she could see a bit out of one eye) and she went to blind school so I got to know all her friends from her school days. I have hung out with the blind group a lot and they are just like anybody else except they cant see. Deaf people are like anybody else too except they cant hear. There are a lot of deaf people who hang out at the local bar i am a regular at. Disabled people often hang out in groups because they meet at support groups or similar organizations and they understand each other. If you get to know one of them you are bound to meet more.
        Dont ask them about their disability or pity them. They are sick of it and are harassed all the time. Just talk to them like you would anyone else, (although you have to write with deaf people or use sign language).
        I have known people who are both hearing and visually impaired at the same time but not completely blind/deaf

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        • Anonymous Post Author
          9 years ago

          Of course I wouldn't ask about it or pity them on purpose...that would be extremely rude. But I still feel bad inside. Especially if they were born blind/deafblind/deaf and will never see or hear all the beautiful things in the world. They can be happy but when I think of the euphoria I get from listening to certain melodies or how I love looking at certain photographs, it just seems so awful. Do you know what I mean?

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          • [Old Memory]
            9 years ago

            I enjoy my sight and hearing as well. As a musician I would be fucked without my hearing and I highly rely on my sight for everything. I would not be a functional blind person but some of them are. Most the blind people I know can see a little but I know a few who are completely blind as well. The term blind usually refers to people with uncorrectable and severe visual impairment but some people think it only includes people who don't see at all.

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            • Anonymous Post Author
              9 years ago

              Have most of the people you know been blind since birth or did they become blind after? Also, have any of them ever shown...like...bitterness, depression or frustration over being blind?

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  • kingofcarrotflowers
    9 years ago

    You almost sound guilty for thinking this, I dont understand why, you have an empathetic view of people who suffer this whilst still having a perfectly normal fear ( hmm not quite the right word) of the conditions, totally normal,

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      9 years ago

      Thank you very much. But I wonder - is it normal for me to get THIS worked up over it?

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  • thegypsysailor
    9 years ago

    Either one would be the end of everything I hold dear in life, except my relationship with my wife. It would probably be impossible for me to continue living.
    But for me, that's not such a bad thing. I've lived a grand life and am near the end anyway, so I've little to lose.
    If I was 20 years younger or more, then it would be a far different story. There would be the time and I'd have the energy to begin anew.

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