Blog Post #2: Philosophy & Creativity

      After watching Astra Taylor’s Examined Life, I found Butler and Taylor’s conversation to be refreshingly stimulating as it draws attention to nature’s most wondrous creation: the human body. Throughout the history of humanity, people have strived to comprehend the extensive capabilities of the human body. Physiologist dedicate their whole careers exploring the human anatomy, discovering the various functions of each body part that make living possible. Oftentimes, people take for granted the diverse range of activities our bodies enable us to engage in. But for the handicapped, their losses make them appreciate what their bodies allow then to do, as they experience first-handedly what it’s like to live without a fully functioning body. During Butler and Taylor’s discourse, an insightful point is brought up: in today’s society, disabled people not only have to deal with their physical defects, they also face social repression and cultural aversion that prevent them from living a normal life. While we do have sympathy for their handicapped conditions, we lack the empathy to treat them as a part of our society. As an unfortunate result, these people often end up ostracized by the mainstream culture and disintegrated from our society.

     Initially, I held the same kind of attitude toward disabled people. I sympathize with them but do not make an active effort to understand what it is that they go through without an abled body. Thus, I have decided to conduct a 24 hour experiment in which I, who is right-handed, pretend to be left-handed to experience what life is like when one loses something he or she takes for granted. I wanted to explore Butler and Taylor’s idea that we often fail to fully grasp the importance of something, in this case our human body, until we have lost them. Through this experiment, I hoped to evaluate my perceptions of my body and find out to what extent does a disability impact one’s life. The following photographs document some of the everyday activities that I did using my left hand.

     This is a photo of me writing with my left hand. Needless to say, it was a long and arduous process. Unaccustomed to holding a pencil, my left hand has not developed the skill of writing English alphabets. The words I have so slowly and carefully written are barely legible. This particular experience made me appreciate my body’s ability to let me communicate my thoughts and emotions efficiently through words. As a student, writing is very much an essential part of my everyday life. This activity influences the way I view my body as it brings attention to just how crucial a role it plays in allowing me to perform everyday tasks smoothly and effectively.

     This is a photo of me using chopsticks with my left hand to eat lunch. For every time I have successfully managed to transfer food into mouth, I have dropped them for approximately five times. It was definitely frustrating to look at the food in front you and have trouble putting them into your mouth.

     This is me holding a cup with my left hand to drink tea. This particular exercise proved to be the easiest of them all as not much body movements are required for this task.

     This is me combing my hair with my left hand. While it wasn’t challenging to perform, the action felt awkward and unnatural.

     This is me brushing my teeth with my left hand. It was an interesting experience as I had trouble controlling the pressure I applied to my toothbrush. During the process, I was either brushing too hard or too soft. It had taken my so much strength to maintain consistency that by the time I was done my left arm felt stiff and sore.

     By doing this experiment, I discovered my ignorance of the significant role my body plays in my everyday life. Sure, I was aware of what my body is capable of doing but with little things like opening a door or brushing my teeth, I have unconsciously formed a kind of expectation of what my body is supposed to do for me. This conclusion reveals to me that Butler and Taylor were right in their assertion that people often take for granted what their bodies enable them to do. The experiment was undoubtedly a memorable and humbling experience that made me truly grateful for what I have and taught me the ability to empathize with those who are not as fortunate as I am.