Blindness – A Blessing in Disguise: A Response to Dillard’s “Seeing”

“I see what I expect,” (18) Dillard expresses.  One cannot, however, hold such expectations regarding vision if one’s vision does not exist.  A blind person cannot expect a bullfrog to be green, a penny to be round, or a mass of fog to be a murky, atmospheric entity.  These items are simply words to a blind individual, who, with time, thought, and experience, will come to know and appreciate these objects on a more profound level than do those who possess vision. 

Blind individuals must constantly activate their imaginations to develop perceptions about the world, and, more specifically, about their surroundings.  I sometimes ponder the way in which I would navigate, interact, and perceive the world if I were blind.  I would certainly not possess expectations of the visual aspect of my surroundings and I would not hold personal standards of beauty and perfection.  My senses – hearing, taste, smell, and touch – would be amplified as a result of my blindness and my imaginative horizons would significantly broaden.

Dillard, on several occasions, discusses light versus darkness.  She claims that “darkness appalls and light dazzles” (23).  Blindness, in Dillard's perspective, can be related to a form of darkness, whereas vision is a form of light.  I, however, believe that blindness is more a form of light than darkness.  There are more positive qualities – an increased awareness of the other four senses, a more expansive imagination, and fewer expectations – associated with blindness than negative drawbacks, making this disability a true blessing in disguise.