In Mrs. Fortune's class freshman year, we went around the room stating which of the five senses we would give up if we had to. Thirty students: not one said hearing.
We find so much enjoyment in the music, the conversation, the ambience of life. But how many times have we complained about a music station we don't like, a person who babbles incessantly, a thunderstorm that kept us awake at night? How many times have we wished away a semi's belting honk or a fire alarm's eerie buzz? How often have we escaped from a crowd into a deserted room just for a moment of silence?
We resent those noisy, distasteful places that blare fuzzy, awful songs from terrible speakers; we wear noise-blocking headphones to escape the constant whir of machinery. We wish we could get those irritatingly catchy, reproachful songs from our heads (how often do we wish to heavens we had never heard "Friday"?).
A "disabled" deaf person has none of these complaints. No air horn surprises, no dreadful child's wails, no horrific explitives.
It's so quiet, so peaceful to imagine what life must be like for the deaf.
I wouldn't go as far as saying that the deaf have it better. While some of the things that you mentioned are annoying and not fun to listen to, I'd say that a deaf person misses out on more good sounds than bad. Music is the big one that comes to mind, but also the sounds of nature and as you put it, "...the conversation, and the ambience of life."
ReplyDeleteAlso, nice descriptive word choice. It makes the reading interesting and fun.