My sight and I - The Traveleyes

Not a planned adventure or a new year resolution but I am definitely going to share my sight with someone this year.

I have been thinking lately after I spoke to a friend about my intention to go on a solitary holiday and she thought it was a brilliant plan considering my reasons. 

Have you tried or imagined traveling to a strange country all by yourself where you have no-one and you have no reason to travel there since there are better places to go on a holiday?

My dear friend suggested something really amazing and asked: "how about being the eyes for someone you have never met just for a week or two?". I could not figure out what that meant at first but she tried to explain this conundrum but not as simple as I had expected.

She went  on  teasing and calling me names like we do to each other whenever we have reason to feel smarter. I think we all have that one or two friends that always want to show you that they  are smarter or simply want to let you know that you are really not as smart. She went on and on teasing me for days and finally told me.

Here is how she said it 'olodo(see meaning below) have you not heard about traveleyes before?'. To be honest, that was the first time I had heard about that. Well, I am literally reading about it as I write. Therefore, if you have not  heard about it prior to reading this piece, we are in exactly same 'shoes' and I do hope this post will help you decide on taking that special holiday.

She further explained by saying: "when I say be the eyes for someone I mean literally to lead a blind person you have never met before and taking them on a tour round a city or a country you have never been before". She went on explaining what my job responsibilities would be like should I decide to give it a shot. The job description as explained includes taking them on a tour and explaining tourist sights to enable them create mental pictures of the environment and any sights you both visit. Guess what? no experience is required.

I found that when one sense organ is lost, the brain redirects itself to boost the remaining senses. The talented Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles evidenced that loss of sight enhance other senses and confers superior musical ability these can also be seen in one of the Nigerian finest artist Cobhams Emmanuel Asuquo and in the superhero Daredevil who uses his heightened remaining senses to combat crime.

The remaining senses not only  become more acute  or heightened but the part of the brain devoted to that area continue being active by diverting and refocusing the energy to assist functioning senses. I believe that explains it better to those of us that are not science inclined.

In fact, the study published in The Journal of Neuroscience postulates that the area devoted to processing instant vision rewires to sound and touch senses. They are very clever and that explains it all - in a nutshell.

The idea that senses responsible for visual cortex in blind individuals is taken over by other senses cannot be over-emphasised. 

I find Amar Latif interview with Wanderlust travel magazine highly inspiring. Amar, the founder of traveleyes lost his sight due to an incurable eye condition but in this interview he said: " losing my sight pushed me into pushing forward."

I think disability rests heavily on the mindset. When the mindset is correct disability becomes ability in disguise. Amar is not only the founder of traveleyes today but a TV actor, director, entrepreneur, public speaker and above all he is also an adventurer and a world traveller. 

If you are inspired in anyway kindly comment below and share to inspire someone today.

1. Olodo-  term for somebody being dumb (Nigerian Yoruba)