Seeing with no eyes
It is said that altering one's viewpoint is not about journeying to faraway places, but about seeing with new eyes. In the case of my uncle, it is about seeing with no eyes.
He is blind. He went blind at about age 16-- just woke up and couldn't see. He went to the Mayo Clinic, where he stayed for 7 months, but they just couldn't find anything wrong with him so they eventually gave up. Mind you, this was the 1940s, so medicine wasn't quite so advanced. Still, to go blind when most kids dream of embarking on their life's journey... and not to know why. [They figured it out a couple decades later-- a rare viral infection].
But far from beating him down, blindness made my uncle all the more determined, and changed him in far-reaching ways. Immediately he set about learning Braille. He learned how to interact socially as a blind person. He got comfortable walking on his own.
In high school, he dreamed of getting a PhD in physics, but it became clear that that would not be possible. No matter. He changed his plan and got a PhD in psychology instead. He did psychotherapy, relishing the "emergency" cases like suicidal people. Like many blind people, he can hear emotion and detect nuances that seeing people miss.
He turned down several chances to marry before getting his PhD because he wanted to attract the kind of woman who would value his independence. As soon as he got the degree, he asked his friends if they knew any smart women. He married my aunt and they had a daughter, who grew up to be a philosopher and lawyer.
Now he has a comfortable retirement. He can live on his own, and indeed encourages my aunt to travel about 40 days a year so he can be on his own. His life philosophy is so refreshing and simple: He lives every day such that if he died that day, he would have no regrets. He is one of the happiest people I know, because he had a life plan and fulfilled it (PhD, good family, rewarding career, financially stable retirement). It wasn't easy, but he put all his energy into it and got vast rewards for that effort.
I feel energized talking to him. He loves life, loves people, and always takes a fresh and positive perspective. He sees his job as solving problems. People have problems, he figures out how to help them solve them.
Now he has rheumatoid arthritis and is a bit slowed. No matter. He takes a tiny dose of medication but mostly uses his mind to control his body. It's possible, you know-- he has 5 gold crowns that he got put in without anaesthetic. It just takes mental effort. He is a firm believer in mind over matter.
But he is thinking about the end. Nothing to fear. He just wants to go quietly. Thus, he has planned for his suicide should it become necessary. He's quite open about it, and it doesn't bother me. I think it's a fine way to go, perfectly logical in some cases. That's what he wants, and he does tend to make his plans happen. Perhaps he'll be lucky and die in his sleep from heart failure, like his mother (shortly after she announced that she was planning to die soon). But he's taken too good care of his health! :-) That's the downside of a good diet and a sound mind.
His wisdom overflows and touches me every time I see him. What a wonderful life. He is always smiling and can't be defeated by anything, even death (for a good death is the natural result of a good life. They are not separate). That's the Way to Be.
He is blind. He went blind at about age 16-- just woke up and couldn't see. He went to the Mayo Clinic, where he stayed for 7 months, but they just couldn't find anything wrong with him so they eventually gave up. Mind you, this was the 1940s, so medicine wasn't quite so advanced. Still, to go blind when most kids dream of embarking on their life's journey... and not to know why. [They figured it out a couple decades later-- a rare viral infection].
But far from beating him down, blindness made my uncle all the more determined, and changed him in far-reaching ways. Immediately he set about learning Braille. He learned how to interact socially as a blind person. He got comfortable walking on his own.
In high school, he dreamed of getting a PhD in physics, but it became clear that that would not be possible. No matter. He changed his plan and got a PhD in psychology instead. He did psychotherapy, relishing the "emergency" cases like suicidal people. Like many blind people, he can hear emotion and detect nuances that seeing people miss.
He turned down several chances to marry before getting his PhD because he wanted to attract the kind of woman who would value his independence. As soon as he got the degree, he asked his friends if they knew any smart women. He married my aunt and they had a daughter, who grew up to be a philosopher and lawyer.
Now he has a comfortable retirement. He can live on his own, and indeed encourages my aunt to travel about 40 days a year so he can be on his own. His life philosophy is so refreshing and simple: He lives every day such that if he died that day, he would have no regrets. He is one of the happiest people I know, because he had a life plan and fulfilled it (PhD, good family, rewarding career, financially stable retirement). It wasn't easy, but he put all his energy into it and got vast rewards for that effort.
I feel energized talking to him. He loves life, loves people, and always takes a fresh and positive perspective. He sees his job as solving problems. People have problems, he figures out how to help them solve them.
Now he has rheumatoid arthritis and is a bit slowed. No matter. He takes a tiny dose of medication but mostly uses his mind to control his body. It's possible, you know-- he has 5 gold crowns that he got put in without anaesthetic. It just takes mental effort. He is a firm believer in mind over matter.
But he is thinking about the end. Nothing to fear. He just wants to go quietly. Thus, he has planned for his suicide should it become necessary. He's quite open about it, and it doesn't bother me. I think it's a fine way to go, perfectly logical in some cases. That's what he wants, and he does tend to make his plans happen. Perhaps he'll be lucky and die in his sleep from heart failure, like his mother (shortly after she announced that she was planning to die soon). But he's taken too good care of his health! :-) That's the downside of a good diet and a sound mind.
His wisdom overflows and touches me every time I see him. What a wonderful life. He is always smiling and can't be defeated by anything, even death (for a good death is the natural result of a good life. They are not separate). That's the Way to Be.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home