Pastor Ken
The microwave oven in our kitchen is mounted above the stove, along with the ventilation system. I am usually the one to use it because it is positioned rather high. To determine if the food is hot enough, I often watch for steam. This process combines visual cues—seeing the steam—with tactile ones—feeling the heat. Using both sight and touch in this way allows for a more accurate assessment.
The five primary sensory organs in our bodies—eyes, ears, tongue, nose, and skin—correspond to the senses of vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Beyond these, there are over twenty additional senses, such as the sensation of hunger. When one sense is impaired, other sensory organs often compensate for the deficiency.
In the 1960s, a Japanese TV series called “Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman” featured a protagonist during the samurai era who, despite being blind, possessed exceptional strength and superior swordsmanship, surpassing even sighted samurai. In one episode, Zatoichi learned to craft pottery. Although he couldn’t see, he used his heightened sense of touch and intuition to shape a tea bowl. When his master explained that the flame’s color in the kiln indicated the required temperature, Zatoichi relied on the sound of the blower, the crackling of the firewood, and the heat radiating from the kiln to gauge the fire’s readiness. His keen senses enabled him to determine the correct conditions without the need for sight.
While this story is fictional, it highlights a real phenomenon: many blind individuals often develop heightened sensitivity in their hearing and can read using the Braille System through touch. For instance, I have a friend who is clinically blind but can read a computer screen with texts magnified five times. Not only can he use a computer, but he is also a proficient software engineer. Another visually impaired friend possesses a remarkable memory. After a single conversation, he can remember your name and voice. These examples illustrate how our senses can compensate for one another.
In today’s society, people are increasingly mindful of sensory complementarity. We often use emojis in our texts and emails to convey emotions. Words themselves are symbols, even more intricate than images. When both parties share the same language, a few words or a single noun can communicate complex emotions succinctly.
The senses complement one another because expressing meaning involves the entire body. Beyond facial expressions, aspects like tone, tempo, volume of the voice, gestures, and other body movements all contribute to communication. Both psychology and medicine have extensively studied these “languages.” Certain body languages are instinctive, tied to the nervous system, while others are culturally acquired. This explains why we observe that some people “speak like that.”
I believe that face-to-face communication is most effective because it allows for understanding through various sensory channels. If one sense is impaired, others can compensate. Additionally, when someone’s verbal message seems inconsistent with their body language, immediate clarification is possible.
In the post-COVID-19 era, many prefer communication without physical contact. While electronic devices help prevent the spread of diseases, they are more practical for unilateral information sharing of objective matters. For bilateral discussions that involve emotional reactions and expressions of feelings, in-person interactions remain more effective.
