The "burden" of blindness

[Dave Grubb]

Andre Bocelli was just playing and I paused for a minute to watch the video. Bocelli was singing "Ave Maria" in a concert in the amphitheater in Rome. First, I wasn't aware that they still used that venue for anything other than visitors. Secondly, for some reason his blindness hit home with me. He sings endless songs in countless languages---all by rote memory. He does not use an ear piece to prompt the words. That is simply amazing to me. I know how difficult it is to learn a language (in my case Korean) that you can't read and visualize. I'm astounded.

[Truckman]

I struggle with English......Ben

[UTAH]

It's as though musicians and musical performers think differently. If they hear a handful of notes, most can recall (and perform) the whole song. All of my family members are musicians and we typically win at musical trivia - cause if we've heard a song, we retain it. My Brother is the best at it. It's said he has "The Ear."

Remember that scene in the Mozart movie when one of the court composers wrote "entry music" for Mozart's meeting with the king? Mozart hears it upon arrival and then proceeds to play the whole song - including his improvements upon it. That's what my Brother can do. It's not surprising that my Father can do the same. At our annual Xmas party, my 86-year-old Father played for two hours straight - all from memory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jlQiHHMlkA

Hunter

[Dave Grubb]

Very interesting

[UTAH]

If I were to lose one of my senses, vision would be the one I'd miss most.

Hunter

[Mike]

If I were to lose one of my senses, vision would be the one I'd miss most.

Hunter

For as long as I can remember, I've said that I would refuse to even attempt to live without vision. That goes even more so now.

[Dave Grubb]

I have been thinking about this and to this point have failed to come up with an answer. Certainly, the inability to read would weigh very heavy on me but then I think that as long as I have hearing I can supplement my loss of sight---and at the end of the day I see ways of supplementing any loss of my senses---as long as they are singular. Cumulatively their loss adds up very quickly.