The word "blind" has an inherently negative connotation. It implies a loss of something important, generally, literally, sight, and sometimes it's more symbolic. This loss is looked on as a tragic thing. As someone who finds spends a lot of time flipping tragedies on their heads, I'm going to tell you this week why blindness is a symbol of hope.
I took ASL for two and a half years in High School and one of the most important things I learned is that deaf people are not ashamed of their deafness. In fact, they're generally very defensive about that fact. They don't see themselves as lacking in anything, and in my mind, they're right. Though they won't experience the world in the same way a hearing person does, a hearing person will also never get to experience the world the way a deaf person does. In that way, both sides are missing out on something, but the important thing is, the deaf community are very happy in who they are.
I've never met a blind person, though I have met a deaf and blind person, he was much the same. It's possible to lead a full life when lacking in one sense, but those of us with five full senses tend to forget that. Just as the deaf community have a unique way of seeing the world, I imagine a blind person also has a special way to experience life - such an experience most of us may never have the chance to share in. A blind person often has to put their trust in someone else. Sometimes they have a friend who will help guide them around. Sometimes they have a special dog who will act as their eyes. Others will put their trust in themselves, using a cane or other methods to see their way around. I'm sure all of them have a different method, but I want to focus on the fact that often they put their trust in someone else .
A blind person has the chance to share with others as seeing people never get to. They have the chance to trust another living being to be their eyes, guide them around, to help them see. They don't have to do it on their own. Not all of us are forced into the option of needing help from others, but that doesn't mean we don't need the help. Most of us just pretend we don't and move on with our lives, pretending life isn't so much harder when lived by our own means.
But no matter how hard we try to be independent, at some point in our lives, all of us are going to be asked to take a chance on blind faith. There are different views on this. But because of the word "blind", there are those who interpret it as foolish faith, or misguided faith, or even simply lacking. Because blindness is a thing we are most of us unused to, we look on it as a bad thing, just as we look on deafness as a loss. But we're wrong.
As I've mentioned time and time again, I'm a naturally very quiet person. As such, there are very few people willing to take a chance on me. They tend to interpret my silence as a lack of skill. Though they would never say it so bluntly, it's true nonetheless, and we all know it. Therefore, I'm grateful for people with blind faith. I don't think of it as much of a risk to trust me because I know what I'm capable of. In the past, the people who weren't willing to take a chance on me were always surprised, because I showed them later what I could do. The ones who could take the risk were rewarded with even more because their faith in me gave me the courage to be better.
Blind faith is scary, certainly, but we can't always have all the facts in life. Sometimes we have to take our best guess and hope for the best. Here's why that's a good thing. Faith isn't an inactive thing. It's a principle of action. Having faith means moving forward, always. Blind faith means progress and a chance to learn about ourselves and the mysteries of those around us.
At some point in our lives, all of us are going to have to run on blind faith. Sometimes this will end in disaster, sometimes it will end in a richer life. Either way, moving forward is always better than sitting stagnant, rotting in your own shell. That's why blindness is a symbol of hope.
