Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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I have a question for someone who is Blind (self.Blind)
submitted by [deleted]
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Emmenias 11 points 1y ago
Really? Of all the things you wonder how we could possibly comprehend, you pick fire? Fire! If there is one thing that can be observed with all the senses, it is fire. So very present, so very alive.
How about you tell us what fire is, rather? Have you only ever seen it? Because if you have observed it with anything else, I cannot imagine fire feeling all that much different in your head than it does in ours, even with the addition of the colourful flame.
That thing which whispers and hisses, crackles and clicks, rumbles and roars. Give it a listen and tell us what fire is.
https://mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/fireNoiseGenerator.php
That thing whose scent can be pleasant, woodsy and warm, or acrid, strangling. Take a deep breath and tell us what fire is.
That thing which changes; from raw to cooked, from cooked to burned. Roast a sausage, or potato if vegan, or marshmellow just as well. Taste the food mingled with smoke and tell us what fire is.
That thing which warms and comforts, but also melts and devours. If you think of a fireplace, you think of safety, yet it could all so easily go wrong. Sit by the fire, feel it melt your worries away and tell us what fire is. Then stick your hand in it* and tell us what fire is.
*OK, maybe do not actually burn your hand because a snarky blind person on Reddit told you to. You no doubt already know what being burned feels like; if not, an experiment involving a quick, light touch of a fingertip to a small candle should clear that up.
I hope this clears it up. We are not some completely different race from you, we're just blind. We can't see, but the other senses are just the same. Oftentimes, questions like this can be answered by paying more attention and allowing yourself to appreciate things you normally would not consider.
How about you tell us what fire is, rather? Have you only ever seen it? Because if you have observed it with anything else, I cannot imagine fire feeling all that much different in your head than it does in ours, even with the addition of the colourful flame.
That thing which whispers and hisses, crackles and clicks, rumbles and roars. Give it a listen and tell us what fire is.
https://mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/fireNoiseGenerator.php
That thing whose scent can be pleasant, woodsy and warm, or acrid, strangling. Take a deep breath and tell us what fire is.
That thing which changes; from raw to cooked, from cooked to burned. Roast a sausage, or potato if vegan, or marshmellow just as well. Taste the food mingled with smoke and tell us what fire is.
That thing which warms and comforts, but also melts and devours. If you think of a fireplace, you think of safety, yet it could all so easily go wrong. Sit by the fire, feel it melt your worries away and tell us what fire is. Then stick your hand in it* and tell us what fire is.
*OK, maybe do not actually burn your hand because a snarky blind person on Reddit told you to. You no doubt already know what being burned feels like; if not, an experiment involving a quick, light touch of a fingertip to a small candle should clear that up.
I hope this clears it up. We are not some completely different race from you, we're just blind. We can't see, but the other senses are just the same. Oftentimes, questions like this can be answered by paying more attention and allowing yourself to appreciate things you normally would not consider.
MostlyBlindGamer 3 points 1y ago
This is wonderful.
I'm up voting the post so more people can read it.
I'm up voting the post so more people can read it.
Private_Dragon 2 points 1y ago
This is a very nicely written reply!
suitcaseismyhome 2 points 1y ago
Beautiful reply.
Hanoverview -1 points 1y ago
I know that your are not "alien" the thing is i can see fire so i can see the moment its getting out of control. i can see a spark flying and landing on something that can burn. i did kinda expect fire to be more scary for someone who cant see. if a fire gets out of control you cant see it. sure you can feel it if it gets to hot sure you can smell and hear it. i am sitting next to a fireplace in the moment and i tryd to locate it without eyes all i can tell is a direction, but anyway thanks for leting me know.
Emmenias 3 points 1y ago
Well, this is a distinctly different topic from what you asked at first. If my answer wasn't satisfying, perhaps you could have been less vague with your question. You have to admit that what you originally wanted to know was ... rather silly.
The belief that not being able to see something makes it scarier is a very sighted one. ;) I cannot speak for others here, as the way one copes with fear is very individual and not specific to one's level of sight, but I have always treated fire with fascination — at first too much, then after a few close calls with healthy respect.
I have fortunately not experienced any flying sparks catching things on fire yet. The worst I've gotten was a grease fire, and I feel like not being able to see how bad it was might've even helped me, as I was able to calmly turn off the stove, take the pot away and cover it. The smell was vile, but nothing was damaged.
Would we miss flying sparks? Probably. But hopefully we would smell that something new is burning, hear the crackling in another direction, feel that there was more heat if it got really bad, etc. I can only hope that if I am ever in such a situation, I would be able to handle it well. Until then, fear of the unknown does not help me; only respect does.
The belief that not being able to see something makes it scarier is a very sighted one. ;) I cannot speak for others here, as the way one copes with fear is very individual and not specific to one's level of sight, but I have always treated fire with fascination — at first too much, then after a few close calls with healthy respect.
I have fortunately not experienced any flying sparks catching things on fire yet. The worst I've gotten was a grease fire, and I feel like not being able to see how bad it was might've even helped me, as I was able to calmly turn off the stove, take the pot away and cover it. The smell was vile, but nothing was damaged.
Would we miss flying sparks? Probably. But hopefully we would smell that something new is burning, hear the crackling in another direction, feel that there was more heat if it got really bad, etc. I can only hope that if I am ever in such a situation, I would be able to handle it well. Until then, fear of the unknown does not help me; only respect does.
howwedo420 1 points 1y ago
There's only a small percentage of legally blind people who have zero site. I'm legally blind everything's blurry as hell but I could tell what fire is. I don't really get your question you could have thought of something better to ask like how do you shop in a grocery store? Well I usually if I can't see something I take a picture and zoom in really far are I ask a fellow shopper hey what's this item I'm looking for this is this the correct item.
Hanoverview 1 points 1y ago
Hmm interesting. i did in my life only interact with 2 blind People directly and i did let one ride my bike, to explayn: a Bike taxi with 3 wheels i did sit in the back and tell her where to go. the other one not being 100% blind explayns alot. thankyou for the information!
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