Learning to See

11 CommentsAnne Sullivan Macy, awareness, concepts, Deafblindness, education, Helen Keller, Metaphor, Pain, peace, Uncategorized

Until Helen Keller was six, she was locked in a frightening world. Blind and deaf after a serious illness she had no way to understand the world. Until one day,

Some one was drawing water and my teacher placed my hand under the spout. As the cool stream gushed over one hand she spelled into the other water, first slowly, then rapidly. I stood still, my whole attention fixed upon the motions of her fingers. Suddenly I felt a misty consciousness as of something forgotten – a thrill of returning thought and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me. I knew then that “w-a-t-e-r” meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my hand. That living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free! …I left the well-house eager to learn. Everything had a name and each name gave birth to a new thought. As we returned to the house each object which I touched seemed to quiver with life.(1)

Once Helen grasped her first concept everything changed for her. From then on, even though she couldn’t see or hear she could ‘picture’ reality by using concepts – like internal maps – to guide her.

Helen moved from understanding material concepts like water, table, mother etc to understanding more abstract concepts – like thinking and love. Helen Keller went on to become the first deaf-blind person in the US to obtain a Batchelor of Arts degree. She lived a long and successful life which included campaigning for peace and female suffrage as well as helping others with disabilities.

Taking time to look at the world and reflect on things we see and experience is a valuable and rewarding process.  This process engages us consciously and can help enhance our understanding of living in every way.

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(1) Helen Keller,The Story of My Life, Cosimo Inc, 2010, p.11

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11 Comments

  1. I loved Helen Keller when growing up as I was losing some hearing at the time, and was inspired by her depth. Still have her her book “The Open Door” after 35 years, and its still in good condition. 🙂 Perception of the world is more than what the eyes and ears tell us, it’s also an intuitive connection and feeling which we all have access to, but many dismiss when the mind gets in the way.

    1. Thanks for the comment – that’s a very good point you make about our intuitive connection – I am very taken with Helen Keller’s early experience as it always seems to me that, that day at the water-pump she was suddenly enabled to conceptualise – make mental maps so that she was no longer so lost and afraid. Children who can hear and see probably develop this capacity gradually and without noticing but Helen’s was interrupted and needed to be ‘switched on’ as such. Perhaps the reason that she was such an amazing person as she grew up was that through necessity she had developed a strong intuitive connection which, when she was enabled to add the other dimensions, informed her actions and thoughts?
      I hope your hearing problems are not still bothering you. Take care.

  2. I loved Helen Keller when growing up as I was losing some hearing at the time, and was inspired by her depth. Still have her her book “The Open Door” after 35 years, and its still in good condition. 🙂 Perception of the world is more than what the eyes and ears tell us, it’s also an intuitive connection and feeling which we all have access to, but many dismiss when the mind gets in the way.

    1. Thanks for the comment – that’s a very good point you make about our intuitive connection – I am very taken with Helen Keller’s early experience as it always seems to me that, that day at the water-pump she was suddenly enabled to conceptualise – make mental maps so that she was no longer so lost and afraid. Children who can hear and see probably develop this capacity gradually and without noticing but Helen’s was interrupted and needed to be ‘switched on’ as such. Perhaps the reason that she was such an amazing person as she grew up was that through necessity she had developed a strong intuitive connection which, when she was enabled to add the other dimensions, informed her actions and thoughts?
      I hope your hearing problems are not still bothering you. Take care.

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  5. When I start my gratitude list each day . . . being able to SEE and HEAR with an open heart and mind tops the list.

    Thanks, Patricia.

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