Blindness as Spiritual Path
I have been a seeker of what is real all of my conscious life. I do not remember a time when questions have not reigned all powerful in my mind. Questions such as, “Why do we sing the same songs in church and say the same prayers every Sunday?” or “Do these people really believe or even know what they are saying?” The questions were so plentiful that my listening ability was obscured by the noise. As I grew older, the questions became more inspired such as, “Can I choose to be content and peaceful?” or “Is it possible to accept my loss of vision as a desirable gift. I have recently chosen to listen sometime instead of always questioning. I am now pretty sure that the answer to the last question is, Yes! I can see blindness as a cherished gift to be opened over and over again throughout my life. This gift is exquisitely beautiful with textures, smells, sounds, new ideas, and best of all, enlightenment of the highest order. It is mine if I choose it. The possibilities are infinite!
Now, the logical question is, “If blindness is a gift, how does it manifest?” Well, this is where true listening is absolutely required in order to hear the secrets that dwell within the core of the gift. Actually, I think they are not “secrets” but very loud exclamations of truth. The trick is we have to decide to hear them and decide to heed them. Life is a sequence of choices that we make in every moment. We choose the perspective from which we create our life. I have chosen to regard blindness as a spiritual path, one of many ways to explore the essence of my being. Being blind is an incredibly rich perspective from which one can gain true understanding at the highest and deepest level. All that is required of me is to perceive blindness as a gift for it to be one. Sounds simple doesn’t it?
It is almost 9 years ago since I wrote the words above. I still like them but in these8 years, my parents have died and my breasts have been removed. My vision has diminished greatly. Sometimes those words feel like pure bullshit! Tonight though, on December 31,2013, I still know blindness is a gift if I decide that it is and tonight, I do.
I began losing my vision 8 years ago and it’s only been during the past 4 that I’ve come to realize that life can be much sweeter. Oh sure, I have my bad days like everyone else but I there was a change that happened a few years back that I didn’t even realize at first (maybe because it seemed so insignificant). When I would wait for my paratransit to take me to or from work I would listen to my various playlists on my Android. So what not a big deal, right? Wrong, what happened was amazing. For the very first time I could actuall y hear the various instruments in the music I was llistening to. It was so weird to me because previously I would listen to music and I thought I was enjoying it but now, that I can isolate the violin, the saxophone or the drums from all the other instruments I now feel this is my super power. It’s silly I know but losing my vision has enabled me to listen and to take advantage of all the beauty around me on a different level. Thank you so much for sharing this.