Observations
Yesterday morning I was on the bus heading in to work, and we were in the downtown corridor where most people get off. I see this woman stand up while the bus is in motion, coffee and scone in one hand, and reaching for her backpack on the ground with the other. I’m watching this carefully because something doesn’t seem quite right. I’m not accustomed to seeing people move that well on a moving bus –from watching her you would have no idea we were on a moving bus doing it’s usual jerky fits and starts traversing 3rd Ave.
After watching her for a bit I realize she is blind. I had heard on many occasions that when someone loses one of their senses that the others will step up their game to help out. I assumed they were referring to smell, touch, taste, and hearing.
I also know that from a movement perspective, that the body’s first processes information via the visual system, then the vestibular system (balance), and then the proprioceptive system (which is the body’s awareness of itself in space). I had recently gone through a certification course where we tested the effects of the various bodily systems on movement, and had been told that when one is eliminated that the others must compensate, but for some reason I hadn’t made this exact association. I had never observed that with the visual system gone the other systems not only pick up the slack, but they actually excel. This was a truly graceful woman!
As we were approaching her stop, she confidently walked up to the front of the bus, never grabbing a seat back or railing. The driver said to her, “you know where you are”. She politely replied, “yes, I do, but we aren’t to the stop yet”. So, not only was she able to maintain her balance, but she was acutely aware of where she was in relation to where she needed to be – with stops are 3-4 blocks apart in this part of the route, she knew exactly where she was.
It was just a fascinating example of how the body will work together. We are hard-wired for survival, and this was gorgeous example of that.
Last 5 posts by SeaJen
- My house - February 23rd, 2008
- The Bus - February 20th, 2008
- Tuesday - February 20th, 2008
- Aspiration - February 18th, 2008
- Tribute to my Yard - February 18th, 2008
Great story, thanks for sharing. I would add to your observation the following: we are hard wired for survival in an amazingly plastic sense, in that we have a remarkable ability to adjust to circumstances. This has made Homo sapiens not only a marvel of evolution, but also, for better or for worse, arguably the most dominant single species ever to inhabit this planet. For better, as it allows you and I to communicate over who knows what distances regarding your acute realizations. For worse…well…I think that is fairly obvious.
You are absolutely right! We are constantly neurally reprogramming our bodies, for better or for worse, with everything we say, think, feel, and do. You are what you think, feel, say and do. Good thoughts really do lead to more good thoughts. And, we will “chunk” things together - so happy thoughts combined with movement makes one more likely to want to “move” in the future, etc. “Neurons that fire together wire together”. Neural plasticity is an amazing (and somewhat frightening) thing.
Thank you for commenting!
i thought this was an interesting story/observation, thanks for sharing… i ride the bus often too and will try to pay attention more.