Elite Hearing Impaired Athletes

I was invited recently to speak with elite hearing impaired athletes and they have retaught me things that I just take for granted.

We’ve all been given “senses”. We can see, feel, touch and hear – which enables us all to perform, but these athletes have hearing impairments.

“So what?” you, along with many others might say.

Well, these athletes play tennis, and tennis players use their sense of hearing a lot. Let me explain:

By listening intently as the ball hits the racket, you can learn where its going, in what direction, what spin, how hard it’s been hit, etc. This means that as a tennis player, you can react earlier. The athletes I spoke with, don’t have this advantage, so we wonder how they cope.

In order to cope, they have developed their other senses to a higher level. They see and feel at a more sensitive level.

My question and inquiry is: why don’t we all develop our senses to their full potential? Why are our senses only developed to a higher level by those who are disadvantages in some way?

How would developing our senses to a higher level help?

Imagine the world if we all really listened to what is being said and not what we blindly think is being said? What impacts could this have on the world, and more closely, to our families, friends and colleagues?

If we really listened, we might just find that what we think is being said, is in fact NOT what is being said.

I’d like to say thank you. Thank you to the lovely people I spoke with, who happen to be hearing impaired but no more different than either one of us, who reminded me to LISTEN, not just blindly follow.