Roslan – Insights

Five years already in Kuala Lumpur and only recently, I came across SHUJIN. After a tennis injury last year, I ended up with a persistent inflammation in the muscles and I looked for a specialized physiotherapist. My luck led me to Roslan. He is the brain and the golden hands of massage center SHU JIN – in Japanese it means ‘Master’. He got blind in the tender age of 5. As a result, despite the initial depression and questioning about what happened to him, he rose to be a leader in ‘finding the meaning of life’. A genius in the anatomy of the human body, having studied for years in China and other places, thousands of hours of treating clients, his knowledge on the human body is phenomenal and it also expands to the human soul.

Roslan taught me listening and focusing on external and internal stimuli in a profound yet simple way. His outlook on life clearly helps him be one of the most positive, energetic and successful people in what he does; someone who inspires. He was the one who planted the seed in me to consider expanding more my other senses apart from the visual. He shared generously his experiences through his own life and always answered my questions with enthusiasm and deep awareness. Roslan’s wife is also blind with the difference that she was born blind. She can find anything in her ‘space’, find the glasses and plates on the table right away and she knows exactly where the walls and the furniture of the room are. Roslan having experienced sight at the beginning of his life still has to look more with his hands where everything is and feels more fear while walking up the stairs. There is also a difference in how they dream. I was amazed to hear how his wife constructs visual representations of animals inside her head, not always being sure if it is a cat or an elephant.

Roslan’s language follows the clearest of minds. During one hour of therapy, not only I get back in shape, I get to hear about neurons, acupuncture points, the senses and his big love after his family: fishing! Above everything, he makes me hopeful, he makes me laugh and he makes me think! He talks about ‘understanding people in different levels as we are more than what meets the eye.’ ‘Be happy, Eleni, take a holiday! All is fine!’ From Roslan’s mouth, it sounds so powerful! He might have lost his sight but he got IN-SIGHT in a big yet simple way!

A few months back, I had the opportunity to go to ‘Dining in the dark’ here in Kuala Lumpur and it was a life-changing experience. This chain of restaurants exists all over the world and it is about having dinner in pitch black darkness. You do not see the food you are eating. Again, just like Roslan beautifully explained to me, the basic concept is that the removal of vision enhances the other senses and in this case ultimately enhances gastronomic pleasure. To me, it was more than that! I found myself sitting in absolute darkness and not knowing where the exit was. This second variable alone made me anxious and I had to go out after 5 minutes, asking the waiter to help me find the way. I could stay in the dark blindfolded for hours if only I knew I could remove the cloth that covers my eyes any time I wanted. But there was no such thing. The whole place was DARK and I had not one tiny clue of orientation or what direction the door was. No exit plan; the very reality a blind person is going through until he/she comes to terms with it in his/her own way. The things I learnt by getting myself in this position during these 5 minutes were worth a fortune. Developing more senses and having a more broad way of experiencing the world. When I came out, Ι tested my sight a number of times. That night, I opened my eyes in the dark as sadness, appreciation & gratitude took over my heart; I closed them. The picture we have inside us no matter how we gather the information through our senses is the one that makes the difference after all; the picture of who we are and what we want. I remembered Roslan and hope, courage and IN-SIGHT joined me for a sound sleep.