Author: БАТСУХ АДЪЯАСУРЭН | BATSUKH ADYAASUREN
Preface
This paper describes the time of the future, when society has moved on to the next step in the development of technology. At the same time, it is separately described how, with the help of technology, it is possible to save or restore a person's eyesight. Loss of vision from accidents or blindness from birth is a serious problem that does not have a 100% solution. For example, in my native Mongolia, about 11,000 people live without sight.
The text is based on the contrast of technology and national traditions. Mongolian traditions lay the foundation that parents from generation to generation always wish the best for their children. The main character and his family are an example of people who would like to give all their strength to their children, even though they live in the future. It may sound strange that people live in a yurt in 2078. The yurt is an eternal element of Mongolian culture, but in the text it is technological. The Mongolian name Tungalag means “bright, light, transparent” - the parents gave their son this name because he has bright eyes. At the age of 5, he began to get acquainted with the world. The number 5 is a symbol of inner wisdom in Mongolia.
I want to emphasize that although I am a foreigner, the work was written independently, without the help of sources. The text is inspired by personal experience. I have a problem with my eyesight. I am aware of the experiences of a person with a similar disease. And for a writer, losing his sight is a great despair.
The sky began to breathe in autumn. Winter is coming soon. Tungalag got out of bed when the warm sun showed 5 o'clock in the afternoon. He lived in a yurt and moved with his family to the north of the city of Bogd from the aimag. Although it was 2078, the parents retained both modernity and tradition, passed down from generation to generation. The warmth of the house appears when it is cold outside the walls and under the floor.
The boy was the firstborn. And he was completely blind, which made him the center of the whole house. His mother suffered from a gloomy premonition of a difficult future for her son. But deep down, she considered it a blessing that he was born into this world.
There are a lot of books in this rather big yurt – they are on the shelves. There are small paintings on the walls. There is no TV in the house at all. Even the word "TV" was never heard. Tungalag spends time at the window listening to the sounds of rain, wind and people walking back and forth quickly. He represents the world around him in his heart. Since childhood, he moved freely around the house and around it, loved to touch things that fell into his hands. There were autumn leaves among them. There was a tree near the house, near which my son liked to sit. At the age of 5, he often asked:
- Mom, what color are the leaves?
- Bright as your eyes
- What does "bright" mean?
- It means so beautiful that anyone can fall in love.
He was alive and moving. Time, of course, does not stand still all the time. Everything changes over time. The boy grew up and went to school. He began to get acquainted with society when he turned 12 years old. Thanks to his efforts, he walked around quite calmly.
One day he asked his parents to take him for a walk in the park. There were kids running around and she accidentally pushed him. One boy shouted:
- What are you doing? Is he blind? – And ran on.
Since that time, everything has changed. On the street, he heard many times how other children laughed together, talked with each other, and played. And he didn't have a single friend, no one wanted to be friends with him. Previously, after school, he always talked to his mother, told her how the day had gone, and in the evening he studied poetry at the table with his dad and laughed out loud. And now he's locked up. He began to sit under a tree outside the house for hours, as if it was his own fault that he was born like this.
The parents, of course, were worried about their son. One day, when Tungalag was sleeping, he heard his parents talking about some glasses. It was at night, and he continued to sleep. There was only room in my head to see the autumn leaves. He loved listening to the leaves flying in the wind.
After a short time, Mom started working, as did Dad. And his aunt began to look after Tungalag. Sometimes the parents didn't even come over for the night. So 3 years have passed.
For the last 3 months, Mom has never appeared at home. Dad only came to see how he was doing occasionally. One day, Tungalag asked him:
- Dad, when is Mom coming?
- She works far away. Don't worry, she'll be with us soon, like before," he said and fell silent.
One morning, his aunt called him and took him to the hospital. His father was waiting for him there. They went to the doctor. Dad said:
- You're going to have electronic glasses now, son. Just don't worry, okay? Close your eyes first!
Tungalag nodded. They put on his glasses and he slowly opened his eyes. He saw the world for the first time. He was amazed.
Dad said:
- It's a gift from Mom. Do you like it?
... The sky began to breathe in autumn. Winter is coming soon. Tungalag stood in front of his mother's grave. He stood in silence, because neither great happiness nor great sorrow can be expressed in words. Only large tears flowed from his eyes. They fell like leaves from a tree. Like yellow leaves from an autumn tree.
- I figured it out a long time ago. I'm sorry. And thanks, Mom! You're right. The leaves are as beautiful as my eyes.
Tungalag saw the beauty of autumn. But I never saw my mother's eyes…
Afterword
The story itself is written to show readers how much a blind person dreams of seeing and how electronic glasses can help him in the future world. Today, virtual reality glasses are used in the field of esports, marketing and telecommunications.
I came up with the idea that soon we will have virtual glasses for people with disabilities. Of course, it is difficult to predict. But science fiction work has no limits. Previously, we did not believe that we would have airplanes, that we would fly on them. So today we cannot say when such glasses will be created, as in the story.
We are developing to help each other. This is a natural process of all mankind. This feature distinguishes us from animals. If such a prediction becomes a reality, the result will be quite surprising not only for the blind, but for studies of the connection between the eyes and the brain.