August
16, 2002
catching up: december '00 collaboration entry for the if project
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If you were able to lend one of your five senses
to a person born without, which one would you give?
What would you forgo so another could experience?
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At first I thought it was going to be hell deciding which
sense would I lend. What could I let another experience without me missing it dreadfully?
I also thought it was a bit cruel, to lend someone a sense (s)he had never known (and had
probably learnt to live without) and let him/her enjoy the experience before taking it
back.
Then again, it'll be interesting, because the last thing (s)he'll do is take that sense for granted. People who are blessed with all five senses eventually take it all for granted anyway. And if I lend this sense, it'll be nice to know that the person fully benefited from it and some curiousity (if any) would be sated.
So, I thought about it. I realised it wasn't a complicated decision at all... in fact it was an incredibly easy one (probably because I came to it while getting messy with ice cream). I would lend my sense of taste. How could anyone learn to live without it? It must be hell for someone who can't really enjoy tasting and eating what he needs to survive. Not to mention life's many other tastegasms.
I wouldn't mind having all my food bland as long as the other person's gorging him/herself on ice cream, strawberries, grapes, caramel, cotton candy, pancakes with syrup, sushi, hot chocolate, coffee, fish turkey beef chicken pastry etc etc, and learn of and delight in the absolute heaven that lies in the taste buds.