Assume for a moment, that for some cruel twist of fate, you died in your sleep last night. Assume there is a heaven, but upon nearing the gate, the guard tells you that you have generated so much bad karma, that you are to be reincarnated as a human - with only 2 of the 5 traditional senses - hearing, sight, smell, taste, touch.
However, you're free to (and must) choose which of the senses you'll be reborn with.
I also chose hearing and touch. Sight I can definitely do without; there are many beautiful things to see... but what's there to see now that I've seen so much? As with taste and smell... those wouldn't be pleasant to lose, but at least I see it as I can survive without knowing what things smell like or taste like.
As for sound and touch, those are extremely crucial to my being. There is nothing more pleasant than the feeling of velvet across my fingers when stressed... the feeling of fingertips brushing your cheek... and the sound of being told that you are loved and valued. I would miss music. I would miss the ability to communicate in a way I understand. If I was in a situation where I would have to lose my hearing or lose my eyesight, I would give my eyesight with no complaint.
But for both you, @Zeptometer and @Finaille, wouldn't you be interested in living your next life very differently? If for some reason you couldn't pick touch(*imagines guard gate saying "sorry, we've run out of touch" *), what would you pick then?
Nah, it's just a hypothetical thing - a thought experiment of sorts, it's just another way of asking which bodily senses people like the most. It would be horrible indeed if you could only use 2 of the 5 senses, but I think less so if you were born that way. I mean... You only know the world as you can perceive it, no? A blind man could hardly tell you if he misses seeing colors if he has never seen them. He would be mighty curious perhaps, but hey, what you don't know, or ever can know, you can't really appreciate, can you?
So if you were to be reborn *without* memories of your previous life... Would you still pick the same combination?
Hearing: Because music is a very big part of my life. More than once, music has gotten me out of a dark place and helped me get back on my feet. I also love hearing the sound of my family and friend's voices too. c:
Touch: I want to be able to hold hands with my loved ones.
Why not sight? Sometimes sight can be a burden. Isn't what's on the inside that's important, after all? Appearances disappear after you love someone too, so it wouldn't be that big of a problem. Although I will miss seeing rainbows...
I also chose hearing and touch. I would miss hearing music and the familiar voices of my family and friends and I would miss feeling sunshine on my face and the warmth radiating off of the ones I love when I hug them too much to give them up.
I might struggle without sight, but I don't mind giving it up. Losing smell and taste wouldn't bother me too much either, though not being able to smell the flowers and taste ice cream would be a little sad for me.
I chose sight and touch. For me, sight and hearing are even competitors because there is music or art and color. I know sign language and it can be just as expressive (if not more) than a verbal language so I would still be able to receive and give love/affection. I would miss music, but would replace it with more art. Being blind is a much bigger handicap than being deaf, you wouldn't be able to drive! Anyways, I also picked touch. If I couldn't taste or smell anything, well I wouldn't be addicted to junk food and could eat healthy cardboard all the time.
Yeah, sight and touch. It would be extremely strange wandering around without a sense of touch, and if you burned your hand it wouldn't hurt. Actually... that sounds pretty interesting.
Hearing and sight then. I find my sight incredibly important (I love graphic design and photography, if I didn't have sight...) and hearing would be useful to navigate without touch and to listen to music.
I had to go with hearing and sight...I would most likely die without touch, but I need to be able to see my kids faces, and hearing them tell me their little stories. I would sacrifice touch for the ability to see and hear them. Not to mention, I love music and art (making it and appreciating it).
From what I understand, smelling stimuli make up for 80% of taste or so. But I imagine eating would still be a very different experience if you had taste and touch rather than smell and touch. I also wouldn't want to eat through my nose :3
Inorite! I haven't voted... Not even in the thread I put up in the INFP forum. I spend some time thinking about it every now and then and I just can't pick. xD
I picked sight and taste. I want to be able to act and I can do that if I can see (there are deaf actors who are pretty successful). And I guess I just like the idea of still being able to taste my food.
i was going to put hearing and sight. but now im not so sure. sight vs touch. hmmm. i'd sure miss the feeling of hugging people. the touch of a woman. especially during sex. that's a tough one. With sight you could still pleasure another human being and see them get off. Which for me gets me off. What do you guys think? pros and cons for choosing sight over touch. i really can't choose
I also think of self defense...I could defend myself well if I could see and hear. Without seeing or hearing, I'd be pretty vulnerable. As far as not being able to feel, I would have to be careful and aware of my body to avoid injuries, since pain is a protective sensation.
with the whole pain thing i've seen a bunch of documentaries about people born without a pain sense. They actually get hurt very frequently and have to live extremely safe lives. They can't play sports, or do any kind of physical activity for fear of extreme injury. Hearing and touch it is
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