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If you had to lose one of your five senses, which would you choose?
One-Minute Writing of the Day:
Writer: Patrice
As someone who lost most of her sense of smell twenty years ago after a head injury, I can attest to the fact that the senses are linked. Losing ones sense of smell means more than "not missing" bad smells. It creates cravings for things that used to taste heavenly: cantaloupe, fresh asparagus, chocolate... you get my drift.
But scent and smell are also closely linked to how memory is stored. No longer can I catch the scent of a cologne from a lost love and remember his touch or taste; no longer does the wonderful aroma of fresh baked bread evoke childhood memories of my father's baking. And a rose is not a rose when it is just red.
I never had to choose. My choice was made for me.
Nice job, Patrice! Your description of not having a sense of smell helps readers imagine what it would really be like to lose that sense. Feel free to put the One-Minute Writer WINNER! button on your blogs.
JHBC...What's that?!
5 days ago
58 comments:
Speach. All the other senses involve processing incoming data, whereas speaking is simply telling the rest of the world what you think about all that data. I think the world might be a better place if quite a few of us were to lose the ability to speak.
Taste buds can taste only 5 things:
Bitter
Sweet
Salty
Savory
Sour
But the sense of smell ...
It smells everything.
And it tastes too!
So I'll lose my sense of taste (never had much taste anyway),
And keep my sense of smell.
Taste! Although I appreciate great tasting things I've always treated food as fuel! So long as it can still go down the hatch... I'm ok with that!
I reckon it would have to be smell,
I've never been into perfume, it would help avoid those nasty whiffs we sometimes encounter, and I can always use my imagination as I gobble down glorious food! I never wanna lose me taste buds!
If I had to lose one of the senses -- in a pact with Jasfoup for example -- I'd lose the sense of speech. I can always write to communicate. Oh, wait! I could cancel that 'Dragon Dictate' on my wishlist!
If I had to lose one sense it would be taste. God knows I abuse that sense way too much!! I thought the five senses were seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching...why is everyone saying "speech"...amd I msising something? lol
I've had quite the interest in the life of Helen Keller lately...it's funny that you've asked this question.
It certainly would not be touch...I am full of feeling.
It certainly would not be sight...the delight of beauty to the eyes is revealing.
It certainly would not be smell...although some things I surely would lose.
It certainly would not be hearing...with a world full of song to choose.
It certainly must be in the tasting...this thought could do me some good.
It must be tasting I'd chose to deliver,
Enabling me to quit the bite when I should.
~oh well...glad I don't have to lose any of them ;o)
Although I would miss the smell of flowers, freshly baked bread, and cologne on my husband, my sense of smell would be easier to give up than any of my other senses.
There are MANY smells I wouldn't mind giving up. (I am the mother of 3 young men-you do the math!)
I've read a few people's ideas, and I TOTALLY disagree.
If I had to lose a sense, it would be hearing. OK...I'm weird. But...as a former sign language interpreter, I know that there are other ways to communicate. So I would choose to lose my hearing instead of anything else.
Lets think about this
Sight would rob us of most of our independence and mobility
Taste would rob us of the pleasures of food
Smell would do the same as taste, as it is a component of taste
Hearing would rob us of our security
Feeling would, well, rob us of everything (plus put us in dnager)
I contend that I want to lose my 6th sense, that is, I don't wana see dead people anymore
The sense of smell would definitely be the one sense I wouldn't mind losing. No more smelling dirty diapers, nasty public restrooms or dog farts.
I really don't want to lose any of my senses, but if I had to lose one it would be speech. I am a writer, so it is easy for me to get my point across with words - I do it every day.
There are too many natural, wonderful things to smell - flowers, plants, food, even family and friends have their own scents.
There are too many textural substances to touch - a baby's soft skin, feathers on a duck, the coarseness of rocks, your loved one's face.
There are too many yummy things to taste - the perfect pizza, a tangy lime, velvety chocolate, even the hot sauce my daughter loves so much.
There are to many frequencies of things to hear - my favorite rock 'n roll music, the sound of my honey's voice, the buzz of the bees, the rush of water over a falls.
Yes, I would be afraid to lose all of these, but verbal speech is the sense I could do without. But thanks to God, I have been blessed with all 5 senses and I'll be forever grateful!
My Muse and Me</a
I would love to lose that sense you get when you have just woken up in the morning and you just know it is going to be one of THOSE days, despite the fact that nothing bad is planned!
(OK, so I cheated as it is not one of the five you were talking about...)
@Barga: You made me laugh coffee out my nose. I'll be sending you a bill for every singed nosehair.
As for myself, I would lose my sense of smell. My allergies would be triggered without forewarning, but at least I might get less headaches from pet owners and overperfuming commuters.
maybe. :(
I speak from experience....I lost my "common sense" years ago. It has been difficult surviving but we cope however we must!
Dan
@sarah
as long as you can not find me I should be safe from the lawsuit (you don't know my full name, NANANANANANA)
tOMW, don't give her my IP
Wow, these are great responses so far!
I do concur with @angi_b72.... Speech is not a sense. But cheating is allowed on this site (see the Q&A), so I won't make too big of a deal of it.
@Sarah @Barga--I'm afraid it will have to be a class-action lawsuit as Barga's comment made me laugh too, and had I been drinking coffee, there would be two of us with singed nose hairs. Just knowing the danger I was in...wow, the damages for mental anguish will be huge. And I do know how to contact Barga. (Insert evil laugh.)
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
and the address you have, the providers have my data
DOUBLE NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I am just glad to make you guys laugh, but now I need to put disclaimers on everything... damnit
I live in a house with 4 males and a dog. This one is easy....I'd choose smell.
No smelly socks, shoes, belches and no more dog farts. WOO HOO!!
@Barga--Yes, I think a disclaimer would be a good idea. I know it will make me feel better. On my coffee: "Warning. Hot coffee may be hot. Hot stuff burns." On your comments: "Warning. Comment may be funny. Read at your own risk." I love to know that warning label-writers are looking out for me; it makes me feel so secure.
@Barga: I simply must cease comment-jacking after this. But fear not, I am not petty. Merely full of dry wit and passive aggressivness. You are safe. :*
Ditto, done with stealing comments (for today)... see you all tomorrow, unless you head to my blog (where I will chat forever)
PEACE
An awful choice to make but if I must I would sacrifice my sight. I have long thought that my eyes somehow distract me from some of the truly wonderful things in life.
(this is weird...I chose this exact prompt for my high schoolers to write on in their journals today, then come here to find the same prompt for me!)
I would choose smell. Having terrible allergies, 90% of the time I can't smell anyways. To think of all the nasty smells you'd not have to smell anymore...I would not miss it as much as I would the absence of the other senses. Sure, there are amazing smells that I'd be sad to part with, but by process of elimination, smell is by far the one I'd miss the least.
If I had to loose a sense it would be taste. I would still be able to smell all the beautiful things in this world and if its food, feel the texture of it in my mouth. I'd be able to see the wonderful creations that people can made out of food and the amazing way things look as made by Mother Nature. I could hear the delicous crunch, or how others say things taste. And I would still have my memory of tastes.
Today I'd give up my hearing! I know that sounds crazy... but I long for peace and quiet. And seriously if you could hear any of my family sing! Think of it, no whining, no complaining, no barking dogs, no honking horns, ... I could float through my days in peace.
hewmonbean says:
If I had to loose one of my senses it would be common sense. As most people seem to be able to go through life without it hindering them too much. I could always ask for help on things, make assumptions and go about my daily life with little to no problem. If it is a problem it will be left up to other people to who have common sense to deal with it.
I'd give up hearing, no doubt about it. I can get a hearing aid and, if someone yells at me or talks to me when I don't want to talk to them, I can just turn it down. I'm sure it's much more difficult to deal with than I'm making it seem, but it's not like it'd be the end of the world for me if I were deaf...or at least I don't think it would.
I couldn't give up sight because smiles at sunset are beautiful. Taste would also have to stay because I like food too much. I certainly couldn't give up smell because more than half of taste is smell and hints of perfume are tantalizing too. I wouldn't choose voice because I love music and the softness of a woman's voice. This would leave touch as the only option, but I definitely wouldn't pick that, because touch is closest sense of them all.
This is a really good, difficult question. I agonized over it. Each sense can call to mind a sepcific memory for me. But I guess taste would be the one I would choose. Maybe I'd eat less chocolate. Maybe that would be a good thing.
Maybe that would be a living hell.
But then I could enter any weird food eating contest and slay the competition!! :)
Peace -Rene
Spare me from the assaults of scent. There are a few hidden jewels there that I would miss (roses on a rainy morning) but far more incidental and accidental smells I could happily live with out. Leave me the wonders of sight. Leave me the ten thousand textures of life. Leave me the wonders of taste. Leave me the sounds of life. Take away scents. Take away the memories that trigger on scents.
I think that it would be the sense of smell. I don't really care too much about that. I wouldn't be tempted to overeat, and I wouldn't have so many allergy attacks. This could really work for me :)
I think I would give up my sense of hearing. Sure it would make communication a lot harder, but I could sign and still read, and write letters. I would miss music. It would be awfully quiet.
But I would hate the blackness of no sight.
TIME!
Alright, let me see here.
Okay, sight is in then. Let me put on some music, it helps me think.
Er, I'll keep hearing as well. Hold on, let me get some brain food.
Hmm, taste is a keeper. I'll light some incense, that's always inspiring.
Well smell makes the list. So, by process of elimination, I shall choose to lose touch.
Suddenly I don't feel so good...
Hmmm...let's think about this hear. I love to eat and if I couldn't taste any more milk chocolate or cherry cheesecake I think i'd have a fit. I adore music so if I couldn't listen to my ipod I would be really irritated. My eyesight may not be the best but it does its job and its way too important for me to toss out. Touch...i love the feel of cool silk and my partners skin beneath my fingertips so I couldn't do without that. So it all comes down to smell. I have a sensitive nose. Some offensive smells can truly make me gag in a heartbeat. While I would miss the scent of my fave perfume and of my cooking...I think smell is the sense I could learn to live without.
Hmmm- if there are no rules and something HAD to go, I'd like to lose 1/2 my sense of smell and 1/2 my sense of taste. Smelling is a part of tasting anyway.
I have 2 friends who can't smell and they seem fine with it- probably because they don't know what they're missing! Evidently, in some cases that is a good thing. Sometimes I even envy them.
My friends, "speech" is not a sense. ;)
See/Hear/Taste/Touch/Smell
If I were to lose one of my senses I would choose hear. There are so many ways to communicte without words. I can watch your lips move as you mouth I love you. I can taste salt upon your lips as you kiss me. I can feel your hands move across my skin and I can smell the vanilla in the air as you walk by. I can do all of that without hearing a sound...
I'd have to go with hearing. I think sign language is beautiful. And you can be so selective and careful if you only get to communicate through written words. Beethoven was deaf, and look at the music he created! If being deaf would make me a beautiful, careful, famous musician....take it, please!
Thanks to Austin's high-allergen atmosphere, I only have about half a sense of smell. It's not so bad, really. I miss some good smells, but I miss some bad ones too! I'd rather have my sense of smell than not have it, but if I had to loose something, I think smell would be the least to loose!
Common sense. It's mostly gone anyway!
i'm guessing it would be a sense of taste, but honestly speaking i would never want to loose any of them.. they are all too precious! :) xexe
I would give up my sense of timing. It is actually nothing to brag about in the first place.
hmm...I'm too attached to all my sense. But I guess it would be hearing, I already have selective hearing anyway.
When did speech become one of the 5 senses?
No one "senses" speech.
In case you don't know, the five senses are
sight
hearing
taste
smell
touch
I can't answer this because I've already given up one of my senses....smell, and I'm not about to give up another one. It's fairly easy not having a sense of smell, but I do long to know what perfume, a rose, rain, the ocean, a baby, food, newly mown grass, and fresh laundry smells like. Just the little things in life that we all take for granted.
I'd give up all 5 sense just because I wouldn't want to live in a world without any one of them if i couldn't touch, taste, smell, sight, hear love.
A Senseless Question
Who’s the contender
For the sense I’d surrender?
Is this a game or a terrible dream?
The questions not a fair one
But, supposing I can spare one,
I will play along for the sake of the team.
For a start, I’d keep sight
The world’s a delight
Of nature and beauty and nudes.
And touch, too, would stay;
I can be fondled all day
And seldom request it concludes.
There are sounds I adore,
Birds, beaches and more,
Quartets and the pipes of Peru.
Smell, on the whole,
Plays a supporting role;
But if it went, taste would go along too.
It seems such a crude waste
Of my cellar to choose taste
But it is the best of a really bad deal.
So, those are my thoughts
On an awful choice, of sorts;
I hope never to make it for real.
hard one...
hmmm
smell..
:S
It would be sight for me. Being a landscape photographer I can't imagine life without my natural lenses; eyes. I think it was Ansal adams the landscape photographer of acclaim who said "when I see a beautiful landscape photograph I hear music." Yeah it's true...there is sound in sight ..there is flavour in sight..and it touches almost instantaneously.
Smell.....
I can still taste the yummy food, perfume usually makes me sneeze and bothers my allergies so I can live without, and flowers I can still look at and enjoy.
I don't want to smell bad things anyway...especially my new puppy's poop...definitely could live without that smell right now!!
(I would miss my sense of smell, but don't want to live without the others)
I don't know if I'd want to lose any of them. My mom lost her sense of smell and it has affected her sense of taste as well. So sometimes when you lose one you can lost another.
As someone who lost most of her sense of smell twenty years ago after a head injury, I can attest to the fact that the senses are linked. Losing ones sense of smell means more than "not missing" bad smells. It creates cravings for things that used to taste heavenly: cantaloupe, fresh asparagus, chocolate... you get my drift.
But scent and smell are also closely linked to how memory is stored. No longer can I catch the scent of a cologne from a lost love and remember his touch or taste; no longer does the wonderful aroma of fresh baked bread evoke childhood memories of my father's baking. And a rose is not a rose when it is just red.
I never had to choose. My choice was made for me.
Wow. Hate to lose any of them. But if I most lose one, then taste is my choice.
It'd be fun to replace the skin with transparent stuff. I know I would be like a walking specimen, but isn't it just so unique and... cute?
Hmm, taste. I love my food, and I love eating, but I hate to put on weight. If I lost my sense of taste, I would at least be able to lose weight!
even though they say that the sense of smell is closely linked to that of taste, i'd take my chances and lose my sense of smell.
i already have a poor sense of smell, so it wouldn't be a huge stretch to lose it altogether. as long as i could still taste things reasonably well. i go for very tasty foods anyway... subtle flavours are usually lost on me.... so i go for very zesty, sweet, and spicy foods most of the time.
i need all the other senses in order to do my work, have fun, and remain a somewhat social creature.
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