The life of an individual who’d not allowed his visual impairments to get in the way of him living his life to the fullest, translated…
Closing my eyes, I’d, tried imagining the world you’d described—turning my head and neck in the darkness, and because of facing in different directions, I can feel that dim light moving around like a ghost, all around, the noises, or the minimal sounds, they’d, entered into my ears. I’d stayed still for a bit, and, all the noises, became, very clear, and, inside my head, I’d started, seeing the connections of the images from the sounds I’d heard. But I’d still, not dared moved around, fearing, that the “unknown” may, injure me.
I saw you about twenty years ago, those eyes that couldn’t focus, it’d allowed me to know, that you’re, a visually impaired recording artist. And yet, your sight problems didn’t deter you from being able to master the equipment, like all the buttons had been, set up, especially, for your sake.
You’d told me, although you were born with visual impairments, but when you were a young child, you could still see the rough shapes of things, and can play outside with your childhood friends. But, with the coming of age, the world before you, became blocked, by that added on curtain before your eyes, to the point, that you can only see, the dim lights, dancing in the darkness.
Or maybe, it’s because you couldn’t see clearly, that you’d become, especially, sharp about the musical notes and the rhythms of the beats.
When you were younger you went to your aunts, and you kept touching a harmonica she had on the tables, she saw that you liked it, and gave it to you. And, with your listening to the music, you’d taught yourself to play, which opened the door to music in your life, later on, you’d entered into the music department’s Chinese instrument band to study, in Wenhua University, majored in erhu, and minoring in piano, and after you graduated, you’d learned to play the flue, as well as the guitar on your own. You’d told me, that music was, your best friend in life. Because of your love for classical music, you’d gone to the national music hall to listen to the performances, and that shadow with a cane, along with those who’d helped you get to your seat, became something familiar in the performance halls.
Every month I’d gone to the foundation to record the magazines for the visually impaired people, and I’d from time to time, became hoarse, or not pronounced clearly enough, and I couldn’t, escape your tentative ear. You’d also told me, that through the voices that people are speaking with, you can tell the person’s characters, and moods, you’d become so sensitive to sound, it’s, as if, you’d, had a detector installed inside your ears.
Because of habit, for you, “visually impaired” became as normal as seeing. Living on your own, you’d taken the MRT daily to and from work, gone to the supermarkets to buy the produces to make your own lunches. A simplistic and disciplined lifestyle, with no wants, no desires, you’d always made people believe, that you are unbothered about the goings on in the world, like the noises of this world has no effect on you.
So, this individual had, completely, adapted to being visually impaired, s/he had, gotten used to living as a blind person, and became, comfortable as the way s/he is, and s/he is doing a lot of the things that seeing people are doing daily, and that, is not allowing your handicaps get in the way of your life!