“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision” – H.Keller
Written by Issa Ms'Eye on May 24, 2017
The irony of life is woven into the fabric of every human’s journey. To have sight but no vision, Ms. Helen said it best, is the only thing worse than being blind. As both exist independently, the inter-reliant nature of their existence holds infinite context. Sight processes and identifies objects through the human eye as vision expands the notion of objects into thoughts, dreams, goals and achievements. To me, the meaning of this profoundly iconic quote is the equivalent of someone having access to all of the written knowledge in the world but never bothered to learn how to read.
Without a clear vision of ourselves and the world around us, we can lose sight of all possibilities and evolution would be stunted. The concept of growth would be a mere idea left to lofty dreams without movement or realization. A long life lived only by years alone is not a life fulfilled to its potential. Without sight and vision, existence is a straight line from birth to death.
The infamous quote above means different things to different people. To further illustrate just how Helen Keller’s words landed in my mind’s eye, I conclude with a few haiku to evoke thoughts for a better understanding.
To be alive but
not living is a food less
and barren kitchen
Set on a pointless
mission like infinite stairs
leading to nowhere
Imagine walking
to reach your destiny yet
you’re on a treadmill
Keep your eyes on the
stars and your feet on the ground
but you can not move
Staring at rainbows
looking through both your very
big color blind eyes
The one who has no
hands will mostly receive gloves
from those who ‘care’
Youth is wasted on
the young; elder wisdom is
lost as minds decline
