Don’t you love when something you thought was a curse turns out to be a blessing? Maybe love isn’t the right word. But the realization that your curse is actually a gift makes life livable and bearable again. In “Blindness,” Jorge Luis Borges speaks of his blindness as a gift, which has given him “the gift of Anglo-Saxon, [his] limited knowledge of Icelandic, the joy of so many lines of poetry, of so many poems, and of having written another book” (381). The tone of this essay is enthusiastic and hopefully. Look, Borges seems to say, look at all these other people who have done wonders regardless of their blindness. His examples include Groussac, Homer, and Milton.
But the reader of this essay knows that turning blind in the prime of life is not a walk in the park. Just because Borges writes this optimistic essay does not mean he hasn’t suffered acutely. His acceptance of blindness as a gift has taken time. Although I’m not sure if Borges was a Christian or not, he demonstrates the Christian belief that goodness can come out of suffering. Not that suffering is necessary or the means to a good life but that God has the power to redeem situations, people, and afflictions. Out of the suffering of Christ comes our salvation.
I’m trying to think of examples in my life of suffering turned gift. I’ve overwhelmingly blessed so far. I can only think of trifling examples—like the humbling experience of not being named an Academic All-Stater in high school even though I knew I was just as eligible as my friend who did receive the honor. Look, the situation told me, you don’t always get everything you think you need or want. The humbling was the gift.
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