I’ve been a big fan of chameleons since childhood. Not because they're so colorful, but because of their eyes. It’s so cool how they can look in different directions at the same time. And I’ve always wondered what if a human had such eyes too.
Image Source- YouTube |
Luckily, I found out soon enough. One famous professor invited me to participate in an experiment. He'd studied the structure of chameleon eyes for many years and found out how to recreate them in a person. Long story short, I agreed to the experiment, and the professor conducted a difficult operation on me. And it was a success! Sort of… I decided to keep a diary and tell you what it means to have eyes that can work separately from each other. It was difficult in the beginning. I saw two different pictures at the same time, and my brain was confused about which picture should be paid attention to. It was hard for me to take a glass of water, for example. I saw it in front of me, while in fact it was on my left. I couldn't shake anyone’s hand either: did they stretch their left or right arm to me? But the most difficult thing was walking down the street. I could see different pictures at the sametime and I could focus my vision and see better than ever. I saw every person around me and it seemed they were about to walk right into me. I tried to avoid a collision, so I crashed into people myself. It wasn’t safe for me to ride a bike, let alone drive a car. My brain used to control both my eyes simultaneously. Now it had to pay attention to either of them separately. I didn't leave home for a week. It was difficult even to walk around the apartment. But one evening changed everything. I finally left the house but didn't want to walk, so I called a taxi and went to the nearest park. I lay down on the grass, took a deep breath, and saw something incredible: a whole cosmos with hundreds of thousands of stars, flying planes, birds. I saw where the sky began and where it ended at the same time, and I didn't even move my head! My eyes relaxed, and for the first time, I felt like I was in control. I started coming there every day to train my eyes. After a couple of days, I could follow a plane flying by and count a flock of birds in another part of the sky at the same time. A week later, I could see the Big Dipper among the stars and watch some ant crawling in the grass simultaneously. I even learned to look with two eyes at the same time in one direction so I could hide my "superpower". I began to communicate with people and make new friends. Talking to a person, I not only understood their speech but also read their body language. Wrist scratching, finger rubbing, holding their hand in the pocket. I could understand when a person was angry or embarrassed, or when they liked me. That was fun! Once, on a bus, I noticed someone's hand reaching into my pocket to steal my phone. I stopped it immediately. The bus was crowded, and most people got off at the nearest stop, so I couldn't catch the thief. They tried to rob me, but I felt cool, like a superhero. Maybe I should start patrolling the streets? Nah, only if I learned kung fu. Video games went on the next level. I set two screens and started a race on each. I played them both at the same time, against myself. There was always a draw, but the left side of my body won once. I began to read much faster. No, I didn't read two pages at the same time— the narrative got confusing. I could see several lines at once. I also developed a photographic memory. But the coolest thing is that I learned to play musical instruments much quicker. I see the keys on the piano, and I look at the sheet music at the same time. In a couple of minutes, I already know the melody by heart. This happened with a guitar, drums, and violin. I never stumbled and fell while walking. I’d become the most attentive person in the world. Something strange began a few months later. My brain had been controlling my eyes for so long that it allocated its own hemispheres to each eye at some point. The left side of the brain controls the left eye, the right — you guessed it. And thanks to this, I learned to control these hemispheres separately. I noticed this when I was sleeping… and wasn’t sleeping at the same time. I felt my body resting, but I was conscious. Some animals, such as zebras or dolphins, can sleep like this. One part of the brain rests, and the other monitors the environment. If a predator appears, the animal can run away immediately. There were no predators in my room, not counting the cat. It was certainly nice just lying down and enjoying the rest, but I wanted to try to do something useful while I was sleeping. Read a book, for example. But, as soon as I tried to turn the page, all my brain's parts woke up immediately. So I just watched YouTube all night. A few weeks later, I began to notice sharp changes in my mood and desires. I could watch a horror movie and laugh atthe main characters' foolishness, but five minutes later, I feel scared of what is happening on the screen. I wanted to go outside and sit at home at the same time. One day I accidentally cut myself with a knife, but when I looked at my hand, there wasn’t even a scratch. Once I cooked an omelet in the morning, butas soon as I started eating it, I immediately wanted cereals. And not because the omelet was bad. I just wanted both of them at the same time. My friends called me to a party, and I agreed with pleasure. I got dressed and was already about to leave when I suddenly got sick. But I promised! I turned the front door handle with my right hand, but my left prevented it. I realized that both of my brain hemispheres began to live and function separately. It looked like a split personality. I called the professor and told him everything. I barely made it to the lab, because one of my parts didn't want this. He examined me and found some serious anomalies. The professor had to restore my eyes to normal. I woke up, and everything went back to what it had been once. The experiment showed that we’d better notplay with nature and remain ourselves. And so my chameleon life ended. But what if not just me, but all people had such eyes? The world would change a lot. Medicine would become more effective. Imagine an experienced surgeon on a complex operation. No detail would hide from them. The probability of making a mistake would be reduced to zero. Everyone who loves social networks could chat with two phones at the same time! A player running across the field with the ball during a football match would see everything around, able to predict any move of the opponents. But they would have such vision too. Any team game would turn into a very intellectual battle. There would be much fewer accidents on the roads. You would see everything on the sides, backand front. There would be no detail missed. And looking at your phone while driving wouldno longer be dangerous. With chameleon eyes, you would be much more likely to survive in an extreme environment. In the forest, no wild animal would sneakup on you. It would be easier for you to navigate by the stars: one eye looks up at the sky, the other at the way ahead, and you definitely wouldn’t walk in circles if you got lost. And if you found yourself on a deserted island, your chances of missing a ship would decrease dramatically. If you sat in the front row in the cinema, you wouldn't need to turn your head to see the entire screen. It would be possible to build an exclusive 360 cinema in the shape of a sphere. You could simultaneously watch a video on YouTube and keep one eye on the door in case your boss appears at the office. Nobody would catch you procrastinating!
0 Comments
If you have any doubts, please let me know.
Emoji