When one doesn’t use one of his senses, the others are strengthened. In nature you should at some point try this: Close your eyes and feel the world around you through sound, smell, and touch. Hear the animals, smell the greenery, feel the breeze. You might hear animals you would never have noticed, feel the breeze you would otherwise have ignored. And when you open your eyes, you will appreciate the world around you more so than ever. ——————————————————————————————————————- My eyes are covered. White swirling clouds obstruct my vision, leaving me blind and helpless. I cannot make out the ground ahead of me or behind me as I stumble, one foot after another, through this land. “See?” A voice says behind me. I spin around, lose my balance, and fall back hard as the voice continues. “Humans rely too heavily on their sight. It restricts their other senses, their brain focused on straining their eyes for light that isn’t there.” I squint into the whiteness ahead of me, trying to make out the figure speaking. I scramble to my feet and stumble towards the voice. My legs catch on a root and I trip and fall again, unable to regain my balance. I lay on the ground, the wet dew on the grass brushing against my face. Even pressed against the earth, I cannot see green or brown or any color whatsoever. I make no move to get up. At least, lying on the ground, I can’t fall and hurt myself. The smell of the earth I cannot see fills my nostrils. I roll over, staring up at where the sky should be. The wind whistles through the trees above me. I never noticed it before, but the birds are loud. Chirping, they can be heard over the wind. Coming from above me. Somewhere in the trees, there must be a nest. I get to my feet, and walk slowly towards the chirping, feeling the ground and air in front of me, until my hands land on rough bark. I look up, at the first color I’ve seen in a long time. Straw and twigs weave themselves together into a nest before me, and a bird flies over, landing on the branch next to the nest. I look back down, and suddenly, the green of the grass fills itself in, with the drops of morning dew appearing as I gaze. I see my hand in front of me, and sprouting from my palm comes the brown bark, working its way up to the top of the tree, where green leaves sprout from branches, which sprout from limbs forming in front of my eyes. Behind the leaves, blue skies fill themselves in, and clouds appear overhead. I look around me. The gurgling of a nearby brook draws my attention, and I turn my eyes towards the sound. The water springs from the air and sprints over nearby rocks, spraying me with mist. As I look around, most of the world remains cloudy white. I close my eyes, and listen to the sounds of the forest. I can picture all of the forest around me, and as I walk slowly throughout my feet brush against plants of all types. I continue forward, my hands brushing against the bark of trees and my feet probing the ground for rocks and roots that could trip me. Eventually, the babble of the brook fades, and I can no longer hear the rustling of the leaves. I reach down to check that the grass is still there, and feel the dew on the blades. The world is mostly silence. No audible wind, but I can feel a fresh breeze. I open my eyes to see the grass spreading in every direction, and turn to see the forest behind me. I hear the chatter of children, and know that civilization must be nearby. Now I know what to look for, and my eyes catch the blurry shape of a school building in the distance. I run towards it, and feel the wind against my face. I am no longer blind.