Who needs a long, white cane? As a blind person, my white cane serves two main functions. First, the white cane gives me important information about my surroundings, keeping me from running into things and stepping off curbs and stairs. Second, it alerts people to watch out for me because I may not see them. I’ve noticed a sharp increase in the number of people walking around looking at their phone and not paying attention to where they are going. I’m thinking all these people should use a white cane for their own safety and to let other people know to watch out for them.
OK, I admit that my idea of having all those people use a long, white cane is a bit tongue in cheek. I know that sighted people aren’t going to start using a white cane. Honestly, I just get a little bent out of shape when people almost run into me because they are looking at their phone and not watching where they’re going, even enough to see my long, white cane.
My crazy idea comes from my deep passion for people to be aware of how they are impacting people around them. The type of impact I am passionate about ranges from not paying attention while walking in the grocery store to child sexual abuse. It covers a huge range of impacts that a person can have. I have become aware of this passion over time, paying attention to what elicits a strong reaction inside me.
The purpose of this blog post is to encourage you to connect with what you are passionate about. Notice what makes you angry. Notice what gets you excited. Pay attention to the things that pull at your heart.
Then go ahead and play with some ideas on what you would like to do to make some changes in the world. Regarding what you are passionate about, what do you want different and what are some ideas you have to make it better? Have fun with it. It’s OK to play around with silly ideas like giving everybody a long, white cane while they are using their cell phone. You might come up with a really great idea that could really impact people’s lives in a positive way.
