Ad occhi chiusi: come vedere senza vedere | Blindur Massimo De Vita | TEDxIschia

Key Concepts

• Sinestesia (Synesthesia): A neurological phenomenon where stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. In the context of the video, it's used to describe the speaker's ability to "see" through other senses.
• "Occhi del cuore" (Eyes of the heart): A metaphorical expression for perceiving or understanding something beyond physical sight.
• Supereroi (Superheroes): Used metaphorically to represent individuals with extraordinary abilities, often perceived as isolated due to their uniqueness.
• Cammino di Santiago (Camino de Santiago): A pilgrimage route to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain.

Summary

The speaker begins by reflecting on the perceived hardship of living a life without sight, acknowledging the common assumption that blindness is one of the worst afflictions. They express admiration for individuals who are blind, viewing them as "superheroes" for their ability to overcome challenges and develop heightened sensitivities. However, the speaker then reveals a personal aversion to the concept of superheroes, which they intend to explain through a personal story.

The Camino de Santiago Experience

The narrative shifts to the speaker's experience walking the Camino de Santiago. At 11 AM, after four to five hours of walking, they describe an overwhelming sense of happiness, singing along to music and feeling profoundly content. While acknowledging a generally healthy and fulfilling life, they question the unique power and primal nature of this particular happiness.

To understand this feeling, the speaker mentally retraces their steps. They started at dawn from Astorga, a town over 300 km from Santiago de Compostela. The morning began with crisp autumn air and the scent of freshly baked bread, transitioning to the diverse aromas of nature as they walked. The physical terrain changed from city asphalt to dirt paths, and their hearing, freed from urban noise, became acutely attuned to the surrounding sounds. The speaker emphasizes that all their senses are "wide open" and receptive.

Redefining Sight: Synesthesia and Blindness

Crucially, the speaker reveals they are blind. Despite this, they assert that they are "seeing" in this moment. They dismiss the idea of a "miracle" or "eyes of the heart," instead proposing the concept of synesthesia.

Synesthesia is explained as more than just a rhetorical figure used in poetry; it's a phenomenon where senses overlap. Examples are given:

• Describing a color as "warm" without physically touching it to gauge temperature.
• Understanding what a "sweet" perfume means without tasting it.
• Recognizing a "sharp" sound without physical injury.

Poetic examples like Quasimodo's "urlo nero" (black scream), Pasolini's "luci stridule" (shrill lights), and Leopardi's "cieco tuono" (blind thunder) are cited to illustrate this sensory blending.

The speaker elaborates on synesthesia, explaining it as a deeper overlap than mere description. They describe personal experiences:

• Smelling a perfume and instantly visualizing a person's face.
• Watching a sunset and hearing nostalgic music.
• Eating something delicious and being reminded of a distant relative's home.

Scientifically recognized synesthesia involves individuals naturally connecting and overlapping sensory experiences (e.g., a color with a sound, a taste with a tactile sensation). The speaker shares a personal example: the sound of a piano evokes the visual of a bright white for them, leading them to perceive pianos as white, even though they are typically black. They emphasize that this is not imagination but a genuine visual perception.

This leads to the profound realization that blindness is not necessarily perpetual darkness. The brain processes external stimuli and converts them into detailed, three-dimensional visual images, akin to how sighted individuals perceive reality. This allows the speaker to navigate unfamiliar environments and even recognize facial expressions.

The Paradox of Synesthetic Happiness

Returning to the Camino, the speaker, with their senses fully engaged, describes "seeing" the colors of the stones, leaves, boots, and backpack. This moment is described as "total." However, a "malevolent thought" intrudes: if happiness is only truly felt when shared, can they be truly happy without sharing this perceived world? How can a sighted person enter this world experienced without eyes?

This thought leads to a fear that synesthesia might be exclusive to their "shattered" eyes, or worse, that it's a "superpower" of the blind, making them like the superheroes they despise – unique and therefore condemned to solitude. The speaker argues that superheroes don't earn their powers, whereas synesthesia is potentially accessible to everyone.

Choosing to Perceive Differently

The speaker posits that everyone has the potential to "open doors to unknown worlds" and "open windows to new views," but this requires a conscious choice to build and immerse oneself in a renewed world.

In our highly visual era, the speaker challenges us to consider what might happen if we "dethrone" sight from its dominant role. They pose questions:

• What could we hear if the world wasn't filled with car horns, notification sounds, and background noise?
• What could we smell if our noses weren't assaulted by exhaust fumes and garbage?
• What could we taste if we ate simpler, less processed foods?
• What could we see if our eyes were supported by "cleansed" and renewed senses?
• How would our lives be in a less "poisoned" world?

Conclusion: Embracing the Darkness

The speaker concludes by asking the audience to have spent the preceding minutes with their eyes closed, suggesting that their brains have registered something different. As the intervention ends, they urge the audience to retain this feeling, to "capture and hold tight the world you are hearing." They advise taking a deep breath, like before a dive, and to "never be afraid of the dark again, because the dark does not exist." The video ends with applause.