Every once in a great while, a singular experience can completely shift your world view. Today, that happened for all three of us, quite literally.

We visited the Dialogue in the Dark exhibit at a faraway mall on Kowloon. For 90 minutes, you are given a cane and a tour guide and escorted through a simulated forest, home, market, movie theater and restaurant in complete and utter darkness. Basically, it’s a tiny glimpse into the world of being blind.

So much happened. We each were dizzy, disoriented, sad, giddy, nervous, introspective, very in tuned to the other people on the tour, and utterly dependent on our guide, whom it turned out, was blind.

At the end of the tour, we asked him if there had been any positive changes to his life after losing his site. He said, “Yes.” Obviously, people’s appearances no longer mattered to him. And despite missing seeing his wife’s lovely face, he now saw people on a much more intimate, open level – and judged them for how they cared for others and for the words they spoke.

Words to live by.