My professor is this Asian woman, who has her Ph.D. from Harvard in something really boring and hard. You can tell shes incredibly smart. Im grateful, though, that she does her best to produce the information in the most juvenile terms possible so my inadequate mind does not get entirely lost in the learning process. She uses animations for us to picture what shes talking about. For that, especially, Im thankful. Today, she was showing us an animation of DNA replication, complete with primers, helicase, polymerase III, etc.. Everything was color coded, in bright yellows, greens, blues, reds... She was so excited at one point when all the yellows (I think they were primers) turned to red (DNA). "Did everyone see that?? Ok, the yellows are going to turn to reds. Notice in which direction this happens... from 3' to 5' or from 5' to 3'." And she replayed it.
After the yellows turned to reds, she questioned if we saw it again. Two guys sitting in the front whispered back and forth slightly. And you know how professors always get irritated when people talk in their class, so they try to catch you and make you share your conversation with the class so you consider that next time you want to talk to your neighbor... So, she looked at them and made a face asking what was so important.
"Well... Brandons colorblind." Immediately, we all felt for the guy, but also started laughing, as Brandon, himself, helplessly laughed as his friend outed him to the class. Not that he really had a choice...
Obviously, Brandon had no idea what color was yellow and what color was red. Therefore, he couldnt tell where the change occurred. I vaguely remembered having class with these two guys last year and it came out in there that he was colorblind... I dont remember how, but I think Ive heard this information before. It didnt make it any less tragic.
My professor was a little stumped at what to do for him. "Oh... that makes things a little difficult for you when studying genetics then doesnt it?? Well! You can still see yellow and red though right!" And moved on. Obviously, there was a slight disconnect there at what Jim was trying to say about Brandon being colorblind. Brandon laughed and faintly said, "Uhh... no I cant see that."
This whole situation got me thinking. And Im not saying being colorblind is the worst thing that could ever happen to an individual... because I am very aware that it is not the most horrible "disability" a person can experience. But nevertheless, its sad. I started thinking of all the things that he has to miss out on.
He cant see the colors of flowers, so he will never be able to appreciate the spectacle of the rose parade. He cant see the beauty of a sunset. He cant marvel in the sight of a rainbow after a rain. He cant distinguish between the ocean and the sky. He cant see the artwork that God paints in the sky. He cant decipher between a day in spring and a day in fall. He cant see the brightness of a city lit up in the night. He has to watch tv in black and white! His Easter eggs all look gray! Etc. Etc.
Obviously, it isnt like I ran up to him and said all of these things... that would be like eating an ice cream cone in front of a child. But all these thoughts ran through my head. I developed a whole new appreciation for my sight... which is capable of being perfected with some heavy duty contacts. (Though, yes, I am close to being blind... which just occurred to me...) I smiled to myself as I observed a gorgeous stream of wildflowers on the way back to my apartment. I dont understand why colorblindness became a thing... I mean, I dont understand why that is a gene that is carried by some. That is just mean. Being blind is terrible, but its all or nothing. Being colorblind is like going halfway on that. I think its just mean.
Then I remembered another funny story that happened one year at summer camp for church. We were in a night session and the speaker asked, "When was the last time you took a risk?" We were given the opportunity to discuss this with those around us. After a few moments, he recollected us and asked if anyone would be willing to share. Someone from my church raised his hand.
"The last risk I took was today, while I was driving up here. I went through a stoplight and couldnt remember which light was red and which one was green..." The speaker looked puzzled. "Im colorblind."
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