Deaf or Blind?

Flashjeff

Flashjeff

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On the occasions when I take the train to work, I always see a blind gentleman get off at the station before mine. Seeing him, I wonder what it's like to go through life without sight, without being able to see the world around you. At the office complex where I work, there's three people who are deaf in varying degrees, and seeing them, I wonder what it's like to go through life without being able to hear, to listen to music or the normal sounds of life around you.

Almost every afternoon when I get home, I wonder if I could maintain the life I currently live without sight or hearing. Speaking just for myself, I think I'd rather be deaf than blind, I could still get around and function better without being able to hear (though I would sorely miss the joys of music), and, silly as this sounds, I'd still be able to watch TV and movies at home thanks to subtitles. But being blind? I don't know if I'd be able to get by without being able to see. Of course, the blind do still enjoy their own quality of life, but I don't think I could manage.

While I hope no one here ever faces such a terrible choice, but just for the sake of an intellectual exercise, would you rather be blind, or deaf?
 
Hmm, seeing as how I have relatives that are blind and some that are deaf. I pick being deaf. My reasons is because hearing is nice, but not as nice as having sight, without sight hearing is kind of worthless because you can only hear a waterfall, but not see it's beauty where as being deaf you can see the waterfall, but not hear it's beauty. So it's actually a hard question, but I pick being deaf because i'd be lost if I couldn't look at beautiful things where as sound really isn't a big deal to me.
 
well i damaged my ears in an accident a while ago and i was temporarily deaf for a while, watching T.v. was tough,(what they saying?), i still had my headphones in; playing music( i couldn't hear it, just always wear my headphones), people do tend to talk to you less aswell.(well why would they?)
 
So, two votes (so to speak) for being deaf. Riyko, you explained your reasons quite well, and eloquently, to miss seeing the beauty of the world around you would be a terrible thing. I too would miss that as well.
 
flashjeff said:
On the occasions when I take the train to work, I always see a blind gentleman get off at the station before mine. Seeing him, I wonder what it's like to go through life without sight, without being able to see the world around you. At the office complex where I work, there's three people who are deaf in varying degrees, and seeing them, I wonder what it's like to go through life without being able to hear, to listen to music or the normal sounds of life around you.
Almost every afternoon when I get home, I wonder if I could maintain the life I currently live without sight or hearing. Speaking just for myself, I think I'd rather be deaf than blind, I could still get around and function better without being able to hear (though I would sorely miss the joys of music), and, silly as this sounds, I'd still be able to watch TV and movies at home thanks to subtitles. But being blind? I don't know if I'd be able to get by without being able to see. Of course, the blind do still enjoy their own quality of life, but I don't think I could manage.
While I hope no one here ever faces such a terrible choice, but just for the sake of an intellectual exercise, would you rather be blind, or deaf?
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What more can anyone say?
?W????
 
Deaf, by a long shot.
 
deaf. i'd rather die than not being able to see my loved ones..and PVs..and my dog, and j-rockers and.. well, just about everything!
 
I was talking about that with my brother just a week ago and I would prefer to be deaf, I mean I cant imagine my life without enjoying the world, the persons around me the sun, the stars I mean everything, maybe I could live without tv and stuff but there are so many things that cant be described with words...there are things that only your eyes can capture and then they become beautiful memories.
 
I would prefer to be blind than deaf.
I've known blind people, and deaf people, so although I can't say I have a lot of knowledge about either state, I did make some opinions.

It seems a bit of an odd choice for someone who's main training was in the visual arts, but... :worried:

I have already had the experience of having sight, so, if someone was to describe to me something visually, I could have a mental picture of it. If I had to choose from birth, my choice would definitely be to be deaf rather than blind. But if from now, I choose the other way.

Deaf people can be very isolated. Because they don't necessarily look 'different'. So people aren't always aware that they can't hear well or at all, and they get excluded accidentally. Also, people don't make so much effort to include them, because their isolation isn't so obvious as for blind people.

There are also many things you can do if you are blind. For example, some really good guitarists were blind, like Doc Watson and Blind Lemon Jefferson. So it doesn't have to stop you so much as it often seems. And of course, playing guitar is one of my main hobbies that I 'can't live without', but if I was deaf, no, I couldn't continue with any degree of satisfaction. Of course, there are deaf musicians too, like Evelyn Glennie, but percussion is a bit different because you can actually feel it even if you can't hear. And as for famous deaf composers, I don't have such a high degree of talent!

There is a really good thing you can get, too, a computer programme that can read to you... because one thing that mainly would bug me about being blind, would be, not being able to read your own mail. ><

But on the whole, I would still choose that one.
 
hard question, really...:souka:

i can't imagine world without sounds... well, i can, but it is too scary...

in other hand, blindness is even worse...

i guess i would 'choose' to be deaf, it is easier to live if you can see things

after all, i will always have these voices in my head :bluush:

kinsao made a good point, but i wouldn't change my mind.. even i cant think of any famous deaf person... but blind.. a lot of them
 
even i cant think of any famous deaf person...
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beethoven immediately comes to my mind.:sick:

well to each their own.. i think i wouldn't be able to live without sight..that's a scary thought..even typing it down is scary too:(
 
It's better to be blind than deaf,

when you are blind, you cannot make accusations, or assumptions about one "at first sight"

It gives one a chance to transcend the superficiality of society, and learn to get to "know" a person, without "Judging by the cover of a book".
 
Deaf, though both are terrible. :(
Being very shortsighted, seeing nothing without glasses or contacts made me, ironically, really appreciate a gift of sight. Not that I ever went deaf, like temporary, so who knows...
 
Deaf. They have coclear(sp?) Implants for deaf people now. maybe there will be a miracle. No, but being blind would be quite scary. Walking around hearing things that may or may not be what you think it is. It would be extremely confusing. Besides, there's sign language.
 
Hmm...

...my first reaction would be to say "blind", sound and music is so much a part of my life, and sight much less so. Also, as a martial arist, it would benifit me to have hearing as my primary sense because it can detect everything around you, whereas sight is limited to a cone in the direction you are facing.

Granted, you can train to develop that level of hearing without being blind, but I doubt you could refine it to the point of a true blind person's ability so long as you still made use of your eyes.

Of course, it would make a big differance as to whether you were born that way, or had it happen later in life.

While it's true that, having already seen many things, I could probably use my imagination to visualize much of what I would no longer be able to see if I were to become blind after this point, I believe that if I had been born blind I would have instead developed my way of sensing the world based around the senses I did have. So while I couldn't see, I would still understand the world around me through sound just as thouroughly as others understand the world through sight.

Granted, my view of the world would likely be very different from most people because of this--but that is already the case, so the idea of a new perspective is more intriguing than frightening.

It is interesting to note just how much our sight-based perceptions affect our thinking however, just look at that last sentance: My "veiw" of the world? A new "perspective"? Our language is peppered with references to sight...

...it "seems" to me that it would be interesting to be blind--if only to see the world through my ears, instead of my eyes. :D
 
I personally dont see any point in life if I cant see the full spectrum of it....
 
It would be, indeed, very hard decision, but...
Kinsao said:
If I had to choose from birth, my choice would definitely be to be deaf rather than blind. But if from now, I choose the other way.
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I totaly agree with that.
In summer, we were talking about that with friends. Some guy asked my friend that question (she's musician), and she answered: "Blind!" Then he said: "Yes, you are true musician..."
Anchyyy said:
Music is my life.
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So, yeah :souka:
 
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