A strange thought occured to me last night as I lay in bed unable to sleep. This in itself is not unusual, I often can't sleep and most of my thoughts are strange, or so I hav been told. But that's another story all together. The strange thought was more of a question: If I was forced to give up one of my five basic sense, which would I deem unnecessary?
At first I thought it would be an easy choice, I would give up my hearing. Without my ears I would not have to listen to racial slurs or mantras of hatred that seem so popular these days. But the I reconsidered that opinion when I realized that I wouldn't be able to listen to music any more. I don't think I could live without music, or the sound of a childs laughter on a summer day or the sound of a waterfall as it fell over rocks.
I knew that I wouldn't be able to live without sight. I have enjoyed too many dawns and sun sets to ever give up that sense, even though it would be nice to not be able to see the violence in the world.
What about touch you may say? Would you want to give up the feeling of the sun on your face on a warm summer day or a snowball in the face during winter? Taste maybe? I don't know about you but my answer to that is simply chocolate. And I couldn't live without the smell of wild flowers in the spring.
So this is much more difficult question to answer than I thought. Of course, I doubt anyone could answer the question easily. For every easy answer, there is always something that would counter it. So, when you feel that life can't get any worse, think about the things that you can enjoy, no matter how little you happen to have.