Being sightless meaning blind, not invisible. To me the thought of being sightless is most frightening happening that would be. I believe the ability to see and visually perceive is the most important sense stimuli enabling the brain to construct strategic connections which in turn facilitate learning. It is indeed the sense I would be most hesitant to lose. Why? Simply because sightlessness would mean the loss of the beauty of the natural world and the visual arts created by humans. Although one could learn braille and the other senses may provide heightened awareness; the world would be conjured by one’s imagination. A blind individual needs to depend on the other senses to know a loved one, the outdoors, a rainstorm or snow. It would be a colorless world.

Hearing, I’d give up if necessary. No longer would I need white noise to shut out ambient noises, use earplugs or turn up the music when concentrating on a project. Valuable is quiet for thinking, resting and relaxing. I would miss the songs of the birds and the chirps of crickets, the splash of a jumping fish in summer, but I’d surrender the auditory sense, if necessarily so. Certainly, I would not miss the blasting thunder during driving rainstorms, the shrill barking dogs or loud music being broadcasted by thoughtless drivers. Reading, imagination and calling upon other senses would compensate for losing hearing, even Hollywood nowadays recognizes the needs of the deaf. I would definitely learn to lip read in order to be a participant in normal conversations and to sign to communicate with others with a similar loss. I’d work hard to maintain social contacts; thank God for the internet and Zoom.

Yes, in sum, vision is my most precious sense. I would sacrifice hearing if I must.