PART 44

I woke up thinking about the importance of our sense of smell. It’s a strange thing I don’t quite understand. And I assume it is everyones “go to” if asked which sense (if forced for some unknown reason) you would give up first. Not saying that it doesn’t have its importance, but it seems easily dispensable comparatively to the others. Right?

Such as sight. Sight always seems safe in these imaginary scenarios. It’s number one. It’s always going to be guarded and protected because everyone wants to be able drive and not stub their toe in their apartments. Everyone (whether they admit it or not) wonders what it would be like to work in a team of people guiding a giant balloon on a Thanksgiving Day parade and everyone thinks that one day they could sit in a luxurious room with an eye piece and be able to tell an unnamed explorer if a stone was actually a diamond from some ancient Chinese dynasty or just some stupid stone.

Then hearing comes next. People are very protective over their ear’s ability to pick up sound waves. Really because everyone thinks they could still one day become a dj like they planned on doing for extra money during their Freshman year and then accidentally become “known” for it and go on tour with Daft Punk or whoever. And most people still think they may accidentally hear a tapped phone conversation that could lead to the downfall of all corrupt businesses and governments everywhere ever. And mass revolution would occur and peace would consume the land and incredible golden statues of their ears would be placed in fields and rooftops and gardens all over the Earth.

Then comes touch. This is the 3rd of the top three senses to save, but it is still a pretty big one in people’s minds. And folks may tell you a plethora of reasons why they would save touch, but none of those reasons are true except one. Everyone would save touch because no one wants to burn themselves and not know it. Because everyone is vain and the longer you are unaware of a burn the bigger and more permeant a scar will be. And the quicker you notice the burn the quicker you can get some sort of antibiotic cream on it. And the quicker the medicine is applied the quicker it will heal and the more faint and unnoticeable the blemish will be. That’s all.

So now you are down to taste. I don’t know why people save taste. They just do. Food I guess. I think it should be the first to go. I think we could probably have a better chance at ending world hunger if we could simply not be able to taste anything. Because at that point; quality and distribution of food wouldn’t be so class controlled because it wouldn’t matter. We would focus on creating one uniform source of food. A small square of ground grains and nutrients and vitamins that our body needs. And once the perfect and healthy “food” is created we would concentrate on distributing it to the entire world. Everyone would eat the same amazingly powerful thing. It would be cheap and sensible and no one would complain because everyone would be fit and healthy and no one would taste a thing.

And at last and least is our weird and awkward friend… smell. The second we are asked to give up a sense; He is first in line. Which is interesting because of the scientific studies linking smell with memory. Isn’t that a thing? Isn’t smell one of the strongest senses that can bring back thoughts and moments from our past that we would not have had a link to otherwise? Fascinating. Because to me this means we would rather see a sun set then remember one. We would rather hear a child’s laughter than think back to our own. We would rather feel the empty air around us than remember the touch of a loved one who has passed. We would choose to taste our own blood than remember why we are tasting it.

Farewell, dear smell. You were under appreciated. You hid in the shadows holding a box full of memories hoping that one day a whiff of something cool and delicate would make us pull you into the center stage and adore you above the others. Alas, that time did not come. Your dreams remained dreams. Your hopes remained hopes. So… close your eyes. It will all be over soon.