The other day I heard this story. A man was going to visit his friend. The friend was completely blind. When the man arrived at the house, it was in darkness – no lights showing anywhere. Nevertheless, he rang the doorbell and soon he heard footsteps on the other side. His friend was glad to see him and invited him in to follow her to the kitchen at the back of the house. She led the way down the hallway but within a few steps, the man had tripped and stumbled into some object in his path. The friend was very apologetic. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I forgot that you are sighted and can’t see in the dark.”
I like this story. For me, it shows that when we know people well, we tend to forget the differences in our eyesight. As people we are defined by so much more than just our ability to see or not to see. Although it can sometimes be frustrating, I am nearly always pleased when my friends tell me that they sometimes forget that I can’t see. Instead we have a relationship that goes further than our physical ability to see. Our vision of friendship or family ties extends beyond that one single aspect of our being.
Yes, it’s good to be aware of sight differences, but in my opinion that one ability to see or not to see shouldn’t be the sole focus of a relationship.
