‘Blindness’ review

Picture yourself as a blind person. Try to close your eyes for 5 minutes. And then try to do your daily activities with your eyes closed. Very hard isn’t it? Especially, we are normal person who simulate that blindness condition. Without any intention to disrespect any handicapped people, I would say that it will be easier for they who are blind since they were born, to live their life, rather than normal peoples who suddenly become unable to see.

Now imagine if a city where we live in, affected with a sudden blindness-epidemic. People , who are doing their chores, suddenly only see total white lights. Yes, not a dark-black blindness. But ‘white’ blind instead. Taxi driver which is driving the cab, or policeman in chasing of a burglar, suddenly can’t see. Could you imagine how chaotic that city will be?

For control and preventive action, let say that the government evacuate and quarantine all the epidemic victims into a quarantine zone, but with one condition.. no normal people will take care of them. Hundreds of blindman should take care of themselves. Yes, meals will be provided for them every morning/afternoon/evening, but they will take the foods by themselves from a shelter. Could you imagine how will they measure and divide the allocation of the foods, for hundreds of blindman, by themselves who can’t even count the amount of the meals?

I won’t discuss deeper details of the condition, you could describe by yourself. But this is what Jose Saramago, author of ‘Blindness’, has in his minds.

Reading half of the book makes me realize already, that sometimes, we often act like a blind person. We pretend unable to see other people’s trouble. We often consider our matters as the most important things to be concerned of, and other people’s as nothing significant to ours.

No wonder we live in a chaotic life. Not only our eyes that not sensitive to our surrounding’s matters. But also our heart that, often, blind.