I was born in Alabama
and became aware at a young age of a famous person born nearby in 1880.
She is probably another reason History became a major interest for me.
Helen Keller was a typical infant until, at 18 months, she was struck
with an illness that erased not only her vision and hearing but also, as a
result, her ability for articulate speech. Helen's story is wonderfully
told in a 1962 movie "The Miracle Worker" referring to Anne Sullivan,
Helen's teacher. Helen Keller went on to graduate college, write books, and
be the guest of every president from Grover Cleveland to John F. Kennedy.
I continue to be amazed by her life, insight and ability to communicate
and wanted to share an excerpt from an article written by Helen Keller in 1932.
"I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were
stricken blind and deaf for a few days during his adult life. Darkness
would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of
sound. Now and then I have tested my seeing friends to discover what they
see. Recently I asked a friend, who had just returned from a long walk in
the woods, what she had observed. "Nothing in particular," she
replied. How was it possible to walk for an hour through the woods and
see nothing worthy of note? I, who cannot see, find hundreds of things to
interest me through mere touch. I feel the delicate symmetry of a leaf.
I pass my hands lovingly about the smooth skin of a silver birch, or the
rough, shaggy bark of a pine. At times my heart cries out with longing to
see all these things. If I can get so much pleasure from mere touch, how
much more beauty must be revealed by sight. And I have imagined what I
should most like to see if I were given the use of my eyes, say, for just
three days. I should want to see the people whose kindness and
companionship have made my life worth living. I do not know what it is to
see into the heart of a friend through that 'window of the soul,' the eye.
I can only 'see' through my fingertips the outline of a face.
I can detect laughter, sorrow, and many other obvious emotions. I
know my friends from the feel of their faces. How much easier, how much
more satisfying it is for you who can see to grasp quickly the essential
qualities of another person by watching the subtleties of expression. But
does it ever occur to you to use your sight to see into the inner nature of a
friend? Oh, if I had the power of sight for just three days! I
should call to me all my dear friends and look long into their faces,
imprinting upon my mind the outward evidences of the beauty that is within
them. I should let my eyes rest, too, on the face of a baby. I
should like to see the books which have been read to me, and which have
revealed to me the deepest channels of human life. And I should like to
look into the loyal, trusting eyes of my dogs. In the afternoon I should
take a long walk in the woods and intoxicate my eyes on the beauties of the
world of nature. And I should pray for the glory of a colorful sunset. That
night, I think, I should not be able to sleep. The next day I should
arise with the dawn and see the thrilling miracle by which night is transformed
into day. I should behold with awe the magnificent panorama of light with
which the sun awakens the sleeping earth. I would make a tour of the city
- to the slums, to factories, to parks where children play. Always my
eyes are open to all the sights of both happiness and misery so that I may
probe deep and add to my understanding of how people work and live.”I am sure that if you knew that you were about to be stricken blind you would use your eyes as never before. Your eyes would embrace every object that came within your range of vision. Then, at last, you would really see, and a new world of beauty would open itself before you. I who am blind can give one hint to those who see; use your eyes as if tomorrow you would be stricken blind. And the same method can be applied to the other senses. Hear the music of voices, the song of a bird, the mighty strains of an orchestra, as if you would be deaf tomorrow. Smell the perfume of flowers, taste with relish each morsel, as if tomorrow you could never smell and taste again. Make the most of every sense; glory in all the facets of pleasure and beauty which the world reveals to you through the several means of contact which nature provides. But of all the senses, I am sure that sight must be the most delightful."
This article reminds me of Jesus quoting Isaiah, "You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; You will keep on seeing but will not perceive; For the heart of this people has become dull, with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts and return, and I would heal them. Matthew 13:14-15.
Doug Burns
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