What Else Can't He See?
Posted: Tuesday, February 07, 2012
by Amanda Liesinger
http://www.lechampiondehockey.com
I once knew a man who didn't see color. He spoke of a few shades of army green and slate blue but it was the bright colors, the primary colors even, that he was unable to see. For many years as he grew from child to an adult with a solid job and loving relationship, he struggled with his 'difference' every day as he put his clothes on in the morning. He often asked his wife, do these two things go together? Or, what color is this shirt? It was so obvious to his wife that the shirt was a beautiful aqua marine but to the man he only saw another grey.
As the years went by, the experiences of adulthood soon smashed what time and patience he saved for the little clothes-dance with his wife in the bedroom in the mornings. It was a lot more time effective to own clothes of the colors he could see, so he donated the ones in which he couldn't decipher the color.
It was to avoid wasting his wife's time, he rationalized. In fact it was also easy to erase what unknown colors he had from his possessions and from his office at work. Soon he was adjusted and satisfied with his ability to see everything the way it was to everyone else. He was proud to be finally living a normal life.
Friends and coworkers also adjusted to the man's easy-to-predict wardrobe - it's only a suitable transition they thought - at least he always looks professional. Even the man's sisters, who always dressed too flamboyant for him, laughed at his rants to 'take off that scarf' or 'wear normal shoes like everyone else'. The man had simply sprinkled a fine fog over everyone and everything, for the fear had taken his physical difference and locked him behind a hazy mist of neutrality. However it isn't something that effects our daily lives. An average man should stick to grays, blues, or blacks.
It didn't occur to the man that he changed until everything quieted down for a moment. That year, the winter, which last year brought foot upon foot of snow, sleet, and ice, had only brought a few flurries in the past 2 months. His social, solitary, educational, and intimate lives were balanced. His family, his sisters and his friends no longer called daily for advice or to borrow something. One 2 week period while his wife was on a business trip yielded a chance to reflect on his life in the quiet, safe neighborhood in he which he lived.
While his wife was away his attention centered around a simple class, a requirement of his goal for a recent grad degree, one to expand his creative skills, and one to in which he was required to spend one hour a day drawing in a sketchbook. Being the diligent man he was, he doodled as well as he could but drew only with chronic frustration. Never a drawer or artist, he ridiculed others for their crude drawings and now he cursed his inability to create the simplest of scenes.
His class continued as his wife returned. She was helpful to her husband. This is a sketchbook, she explained to the man, all you do is draw sketches. The man was enlightened by such a simple phrase. In secret, however, he asked himself, but what about the colors that I can't see, how will that effect my grade? That will surely cause my sketches to be wrong.
Maybe it was the quest for a good grade that kept his patience but he was soon enthralled by the class and paid attention to more wisdom. He began opening a door that he forgot he closed years ago. In his scheme of things he only knew of what he knew and what he could see. The class challenged his idea of color, of sketches as only lines and as drawing only the will to create.
Given his choice it is impressive the man gave himself the chance to approach his colorblindness from another standpoint. "I have been afraid of using color for a long time," he admits.
I wonder if the man is going to step back and what other things he's been blind to, other things that he's been afraid of.
This Article has been viewed 521 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Very nice, thanksYou are welcome. Thank you for taking the time to read it.
Love this and it makes me smile. The big super question: "things we are blind to" is a good one.Thank you - what is the point of reading if you didn't enjoy it, I always think. Heck, I thought that when I read your Karl Jung's Soup post. Man, was that enjoyable.I am going to ask you a favor then. Please tell me if "5 Mudered People at the Bridge" was too dark. I was being daring, but wanted to try to be positive about the topic. Maybe I took on too much. Since you just commented like you did, I thought I would ask you. Thanks for your time.
Hi Amanda.
Sometimes a narrow perspective is all that allows some people to cope. The big picture is often ... well, too big ... and overwhelming. But I get your point. And it's a good one.
Hugs,
DianneDianne - I agree. I think that's why I enjoy writing for Wrytestuff - it allows me to at least try to make the big picture a little less overwhelming.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.