Choose your pain.

I was just checking the Truth Hurts thread recently and posting a few questions. One of the questions asked by another member, I think it was Hyde, was if you had one disability, would you rather be blind or deaf? I've struggled with this question for the longest time, if I were to somehow get into a freak accident, either my eyesight or hearing ability would be wiped out. From this standpoint, it's just too hard to think how different your day would be if you couldn't see nor ear.

However, I'm adding a third option to the pole, and that would be that you can see and hear perfectly, but you have no left or right hands - lets say you got into some car accident and both of them had to be amputated to save you.

Despite this rather depressing and morbid choice, choose your pain and explain your rationale?

And even after all this, I'm still indecisive, but I'd go with being deaf - I find eyesight just so much more useful to get around daily life.

I'd rather be blind. Life without reading would be... difficult, to be sure, but life without hearing would be absolutely insufferable. I don't know what I would do if I was unable to converse.

You thief!!

I would also take blindness. If you are blind, you loose your connections to objects, however if you are deaf, you loose your connections to people. I would rather be able to talk and communicate than see.

I think people automatically answer that they would rather be deaf without really thinking about the implications.

No left or right hands? Well if I can keep one, I guess I'd choose this option. Being blind sucks and being deaf is bad for your ears.

Originally Posted by Hydelloon

I would also take blindness. If you are blind, you loose your connections to objects, however if you are deaf, you loose your connections to people. I would rather be able to talk and communicate than see.

I think people automatically answer that they would rather be deaf without really thinking about the implications.

When you are deaf, you can still use sign language, body language and writing (and even speech, unless the question assumes that you are deaf from birth), while leading an otherwise quite normal life, whereas being blind means that you pretty much lose the ability to work, read (braille ), ever travel by yourself, et cetera; you're basically dependant on other people for the rest of your life.

Originally Posted by Hydelloon

You thief!!

I would also take blindness. If you are blind, you loose your connections to objects, however if you are deaf, you loose your connections to people. I would rather be able to talk and communicate than see.

I think people automatically answer that they would rather be deaf without really thinking about the implications.

I disagree, with any disability you can learn to over come it to some extent. I'd rather not be able to hear than not be able to see. The reason is I know what it is like to be nearly blind. It makes functioning as an individual so much harder when you can't see, for example with out my glasses I can't drive my car, safely walk cross the street by my self, use a computer, read a book, etc. If it were my hearing that was impaired I wouldn't be able to listen to music, talk on a phone, etc. I think it is alot easier to learn to overcome a lack of hearing than it is to learn to over come a lack of sight.

Originally Posted by Aardark

When you are deaf, you can still use sign language, body language and writing (and even speech, unless the question assumes that you are deaf from birth), while leading an otherwise quite normal life, whereas being blind means that you pretty much lose the ability to work, read (braille ), ever travel by yourself, et cetera; you're basically dependant on other people for the rest of your life.

There are a lot of deaf people who don't hear the truck coming from the right, though.

I pick blindness. Eventually you'll adapt to it. I dunno about deafness for others, but personally, I couldn't live in silence since I am a music lover. And lacking a hand is also filed under the inability to play music or do a multitude of other daily activities.

I would rather keep both and loose the hands. I can continue to listen to music and browse the internets AND I can get a pair of hooks for hands and act like a pirate Yaaarr!

Blind. The two things I like the most are books and music. As long as I can hear and have hands I can listen to music, play my instrument, and still listen to audio books. I'm a sappy motherfucker so it would be terrible to not be able to look at the moon and the ocean and snow and women, but hey - priorities.

Actually, I was meaning losing BOTH your hands.

I was paraphrasing neuroscientist. In his work, he interviewed patience who became blnd and deaf in their adult lives. At first, I felt the same way about hearing, but the literature was quite compelling. The interviews made it very clear that being blind restricted contact with humans much more than being deaf,

I stand by my original statement. I can't articulate my thoughts as well as my professors but I was immeadiately pursuaded upon hearing and reading the text. Coming from a visual person, this is a very strong statement. I find a world of silence to be much more terrifying than a world of darkness.

I pulled a quote from Helen Keller

Spoiler:

I am just as deaf as I am blind. The problems
of deafness are deeper and more complex,
If not more important, than those of blindness.
Deafness is a much worse misfortune. For it
means the loss of the most vital stimulus - the
sound of the voice that brings language, sets
thoughts astir, and keeps us in the intellectual
company of man.

- Helen Keller

I was legally blind for years before I had eye surgery, and although I could see colors (if the thing I was looking at was very large) I couldn't make out distinct shapes at all. The big "E" at the top of the eye chart that I couldn't see when I was seven years old became a big chart that I couldn't see by the time I was 15. It really wasn't as unbearable as people think. I believe I could be completely functional without eyesight, so that's what I'd pick.

The Cons of both are just too great. On the sight side, there's no more movies, no more video games, no more TV (ok, so i guess those are pretty much under one category) no reading, hard to get around.

For the hearing side, there's no more being able to interpret speech, no more music. Music is a huge thing for me, so that one's right up there.

As for hands, that'd mean no more video games, no more being able to properly manipulate stuff, and worst of all, not being able to hold hands with my sweety . I can imagine that many forms of physical contact would be hindered by that one.

If i had to chose one though, out of the three, i'd probably go with blindness. I need to be able to hear to function, whether it be music, speech, or whatever else have you.

My hands. I usually play RPGs and such so I could always learn playing them with my feet. But then again, I enjoy both shoot and beat 'em ups a lot, too. I guess I could sacrifice those two if I can keep my eyesight and hearing. They are far more precious, in my opinion.

Deaf. I can live without sound if need be, and I've had ear issues in the past that've troubled me to no end. Honestly, your entire loss would consist of sound.

You'd still be able to watch tv with subtitles, browse online, type, read, work, and do almost everything a normal person's capable of doing - unless it's specifically involved with sound itself.

I just cannot imagine sacrificing your eyesight or arms (both which would cripple you from working and doing a variety of things) when there's an obvious alternative which has more benefits over detriments.

To be truthful, I am keen on Alice and Elixer's comments so far because they have experienced either a deficit in hearing or sight. Everyone else in the thread, myself included, is just speculating what such a world would be like. Understandably, each poster adds insight and thoughts to the thread, but I've found Alice and Elixer to be the most compelling. This is not said to lessen the worth of some other posts, afterall I am one of those posters, but just an observation I made.

ps: I added a Helen Keller quote above. Being both deaf and blind, I think her words have great weight in this argument.

I chose both hands.

To never be able to see or hear your loved ones would be too much for me, and I'm not much of a musician compared to other people.

Sure talking on message boards or AIM would be hindered, but if I get some sort of thumb like object, I can at least still press keys (and the X button on the PS2 controller :P). No more FPSs or Smash Bros. though - still living on RPGs, being able to have full conversations with people, the ability to listen to music, and watch nature would still be a fulfilling life in my eyes.

I choose sight.

I am way too involved with the music I listen to - More so than the games I play or anything on TV or in the cinema. Coping with audiobooks wouldn't be so hard either.

Losing both my hands? That'd be hellish.