Food for thought

Insight is the ability to see the nose in front of your face clearly.

My new world (A little insight)

I have entered a new world. It is very strange and alien to me. For many years I traveled in a world filled with muffled sounds and silence. It was a peaceful world where sometimes the loudest noises were my own thoughts. That world is now shattered.

At the urging of my loving wife, who was assisted by other family members, I had my hearing tested. I am now adorned with two tiny pieces of modern technology sitting unobtrusively hidden in my ears. This marvel of science is made of plastic and ever so small electronic components. Now, I am not so backward as to believe this is something new. No, hearing aids have been around for a long time, in many forms and sizes. It is not that I am overwhelmed by the technology, but by its effects.

Over the years I had learned to hear bits and pieces of conversations, read lips and fill in the gaps with guesses. Also to a small extent we even used sign language, but in a much abbreviated form. Life was easier for me than it was for the people around me. If they were not facing me, I didn’t hear them; therefore they never said anything, as far as I was concerned. Television and music had to be loud, this was not healthy for the people around me, but they got used to it. Even simple sounds were muted or muffled to my ears. As time went on, the loss increased, but I didn’t notice. In a way it is akin to the old experiment of the frog and hot water. You know the one: if you put a frog in water and slowly heat it, the frog can boil to death. But if you put a frog in hot water, it will jump out. Slow change is not noticed so much, only the end effect.

I now have to find my way in a world filled with noise! Sounds most people hear but think little about fill every corner of this new world. Our minds are a marvel to wonder, it takes the input of sight, sound, smell, taste and feeling; processes them to let us know about our surroundings. Deprived of a source for a period, it takes time to compensate and adjust the new information to the proper scale. This can be overwhelming and somewhat hard to deal with! If you have any doubt, deprive yourself of any of these senses for a long period and then return it all at once. If it is sight, the colors of life will be brighter and more vivid than you remember. Physical sensations will be more intense and sound louder.

What I hear now is almost unbelievable. The gentle babble of my aquarium is now the roar of Niagara Falls. The dogs walking in the house: a troupe of tap dancers on a glass floor. The tiny tinkle of a cat’s bell is now Notre Dame Cathedral in the bell tower. My wheelchair is no longer a low buzz, but the clamor of a Sherman tank. My computer fans went from a hum to the roar of jets. The ceiling fans whoosh and air conditioner spews gale force winds to howl an assault on my ears. Even my keyboard clicks now. I’m thinking about finding a sound muffler for the water faucets, I don’t need the crash of a tidal wave in the house.

The quietest room in the house, the library, isn’t quiet any more. Sound oozes from very crack and part of the room. The peaceful sanctuary my home once was is no more. I am under a siege, it is a battle I can not win, but must surrender to and live with.

I case you are unaware of the facets this technology has, let me clue you in to a couple. There are different settings to cover almost every situation, from a quiet room and conversation to a noise filled arena or the phone. There is also a volume control to set the limit of amplification. I have mine set very low, so there are still sounds which elude me without concentrating. At this point I’m glad there are a few sounds which are not assaulting me.

For all who have never had a hearing problem or any other deficiency, place yourself as among the lucky. We, as humans, have the habit of scoffing at another’s short comings or ailments. We feel an affinity to those who have a situation close to our own. As I age more and more, I see this as a shortcoming in of itself. Ailments, physical differences among people are pandemic and should be understood. This is not to say pity, but understanding is needed and necessary. The next time you see someone in a wheelchair/scooter, walking with a seeing dog or any other physical difference, don’t stare at them or ridicule them. Understand they are human also and due the same respect and honor you feel is ours. You never know what the future holds; some day it may be you in the reverse situation.

Do not criticize another until you have lived in their skin for a year.

Ed Williams
©