An Experiment or The First Time I Asked Myself a Big What-If Question Essay

Saying that children are cruel is, probably, going a bit too far. I would say children are realistic, pragmatic, and uncompromising. They are the closest humanity will ever get to our distant savage past when our ancestors lived in caves and could count only upon themselves, when necessity ruled over kindness. As a child, I was not cruel, but I laughed when others laughed. No wonder, I wanted to fit it. Nobody likes white crows, you know. That was until the experiment I am going to tell you about, a simle one, no mind-bending calculations or explosive ingredients involved. I only had to close my eyes for some time. I did, and when I did, it helped me see much better in the future. Only much too often people who seem to have no sight problems turn out to be blind. I used to be blind and only closing my eyes helped me see that.

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Once my friends and I saw a young man with a big, friendly dog. He was wearing sunglasses and had a really weird gait. Not at once did we realize that he could not see. At school, we took turns to impersonate him. It was not that we tried to ridicule the man, we obviously felt some pity for him, but it seemed to be great fun imitating the hurried, yet hesitant step of the stranger. It was my turn to take the stage when our laughter caught the attention of the teacher. He never tried to scold us for being unfeeling. He came over and asked what the whole show was about. I remember well the understanding, somehow slightly pitiful expression on his wrinkled face, and even now it is still making me wonder at his wisdom. He looked like he was not at all surprised. Instead of being judgemental and moralizing, he offered us an experiment - we could try to walk in the shoes of the blind finding our way about with a kerchief tied over our eyes. The only condition was not to take it off until we were told to do so. I was impatient and excited. That was a challenge and children love challenges. And, to be honest, anything is better than having your homework checked. At first, I did pretty well. I knew the classroom and could find my way about. But I started feeling uncomfortable when my friends gasped, then started laughing. When some time passed I heard music playing. I noticed how much more important the sound is to you when you cannot use your sight. I heard book leaves rustling, feet tapping, hands clapping, children running. The door opened and closed. And then there was silence. And I just sat there for some time which seemed to me to be a whole eternity. I was curious at first, but gradually I felt worried, irritated, lonely, lost, even betrayed. Has everybody left? Have they gone out to play? Or were they just sitting there, looking at me and laughing silently? The kerchief upon my eyes seemed to be too hot, too heavy, too scratchy. I could not stand anymore and tore the kerchief off my eyes. The teacher was standing quietly at his desk. "See? What if you could never take that kerchief off?" I was angry at him for making me go through all those feelings, and yet, I knew I had understood something essential without knowing then what it was.

Conclusion

As I see it now, that experience changed me. What I learned that day was to always try and walk in other people's shoes, if only in my imagination. But, to be honest, it can be extremely hard and unpleasant, and I do not always succeed. I have been through many mental experiments. I have tried on many shoes and some of them are quite uncomfortable. And I still remember that sensation when you do not know what to do, when you are lost in doubt, when you need somebody to help you see clearly again. What I see clearly enough now is that this world needs a little less judgment and a little more kindness. After all, everyone is fighting their own battle.