Would you rather be completely blind or a C4 quadriplegic?

Scenario: Next week you will encounter an unknown accident that will permanently disable you. You have the choice to be a C4 quadriplegic or totally blind after the accident. Which would you choose?

Assumptions:

Since the accident will happen in the future, you would have lived life as an abled person, and not be born with this disability. Furthermore, everything that has happened to date would have happened to date.

Totally blind is to be interpreted as having no vision at all (which differs from being legally blind).

C4 quadriplegic means you have no movement below the neck. 

P.S. Came up with this after researching disabilities, and in my opinion these are the two of the most difficult disabilities to live with. 

29 Comments
 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

+1 

I'm Catholic so believe in life, but this sounds terrible. I largely quit cycling outside because it was so dangerous and I was worried about becoming paralyzed. I now cycle indoors mainly. 

I knew a guy who had locked in syndrome (your whole body is paralyzed except for your eyes) and he wanted to shoot himself, but lived for another 15 years after getting it in a bed watching TNT. He got locked in syndrome from too much alcohol, like a lot of alcohol. 

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

I avoid squats due to a fear of getting paralyzed. Incidents have happened where people have lost control and become C4 quadriplegic as the bar broke their neck. I one time lost control of the bar due to my friends convincing me to squat more weight. Luckily I had guards and fell in such a way that nothing happened. After that and another incident where it happened (due to the same reason), I stopped working out with friends and only go solo because I know what I can handle and thus never run into incidents like the above no matter the exercise. Still avoid squats though because there are plenty of safer replacements. 

Array
 

Regarding your friend, did he indicate that he wanted to live? I lean pro-life but in cases like that I feel like it is forced torture by the family if he doesn't want it. Pull the plug and let him rest in peace. 

Array
 
Most Helpful

IncomingIBDreject

Regarding your friend, did he indicate that he wanted to live? I lean pro-life but in cases like that I feel like it is forced torture by the family if he doesn't want it. Pull the plug and let him rest in peace. 

So he drank too much and then all of a sudden one day had a stroke and was paralyzed per locked in syndrome. He could no longer move any part of his body except his eyes. He was hospitalized and his emergency contact was his ex-wife who he hadn't talked to for years after their divorce. He just never updated his emergency contact. I was friends with her and was how I met him. When it first happened, he could only communicate by blinking. It took maybe a few weeks to get out a few words. The first thing he said was "shoot head." They didn't fully understand and then he clarified and said "shotgun to head." He wanted to die. Then something happened to his spirit. His ex-wife was Catholic and talked about how he could be a prayer warrior for the glory of God and she asked him if he was willing to sacrifice the pain for the good of others through prayer. He agreed he would try. Eventually he communicated that he wanted to become Catholic, which he never had the desire to be Catholic during their marriage. He was Baptized and received the sacrament of the Eucharist. He was now happy to live. And he just loved watching TNT with the volume at full blast. He had a feeding tube and never ate again by mouth. He was an Air Force veteran and also later served as a cop on VICE before this accident. His hearing wasn't that good so I brought in these huge Bose speakers for us to listen to music and listen to bible study. He really liked bible study and enjoyed my visits there. He really inspired me as if I was in that situation, I would for sure ask for death every day. He lived for a long time in that state, which is pretty amazing. 

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

The problem is you literally can't die. 

If you're blind, someone would have to give you the weapon which means that person would go to jail. For quadriplegia you can't move, so someone else would have to kill you which means they would spend life in prison. 

Array
 
IncomingIBDreject

The problem is you literally can't die. 

If you're blind, someone would have to give you the weapon which means that person would go to jail. For quadriplegia you can't move, so someone else would have to kill you which means they would spend life in prison. 

You can always go to Switzerland for assisted death. 

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

You could always use the blindness to your advantage and "fall" of a bridge. Those left behind won't feel as bad because it was an accident.

 

lol such a jokester

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Blind. C4 quadriplegic is one of my worst fears, you’re alive but at the same time you’re not. At least if you’re blind you can still live a relatively normal life.You can have a job, have hobbies, not be overly picky with girls. Getting used to living that way would be tough but it’s infinitely better than the other option. I have a cousin who is totally disabled, she can’t walk, can’t talk and is slowly getting weaker. She’s 26 now and has never said her first word, took a first step, went to school or ever made a friend. It’s a terrible existence. So, yeah, I’d choose being blind. 

 

You can still do a lot if you’re blind and I think as we continue to make advancements in medicine and tech, blindness may be curable. I remember reading something about a blind man who had his sight partially restored with still experimental treatments. I forget the actual procedure they used though. 

 

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