Carmelo is back with an interesting question for us! You know Carmelo if you’ve been on the porch before – he’s the one who makes sure everyone has a tea or coffee and gets involved in the conversation! Take it away Carmelo!

Have you ever seriously considered what your life would be like with just four of your five senses? How many things would be different? Would you still be you?

Despite their importance, 99% of the time they operate almost robotically without any conscious thought whatsoever. Our senses of touch, hearing, sight, smell and taste influence how we think and act. So, why do we often take them for granted?

Recently I decided to take them off auto-pilot and use them consciously. I was amazed to discover the richness that I had been missing.

Our senses are the windows to our world. They lead to a diversity of emotions that color our journeys. We know the feelings generated by the smell of a bakery, the sight of a dazzling sunset, hearing our favorite song, the taste of chocolate, or an intimate touch. These are all heightened when we add acute awareness.

But there are also times we wish they were less developed. Our senses can reveal things to us we wished they hadn’t – seeing or hearing things that upset or hurt us. If we burn a finger we wish that our sense of touch didn’t also cause such pain. Or, imagine the quality of your life if you lived next to a smelly garbage dump. Would that mess with your mind and mood?

I then found myself wondering which sense was most important to me and even wondered which one I’d give up if I could only have four. Would that change who I was? Would anyone know who Helen Keller was if she had five perfectly functioning senses? I’m paying more attention to my senses now. I’m curious to know how you treat yours.

How do your senses shape the life you lead? Do you have a favorite? Which one could you do without if you had to?

photo credit: Dennis Wong