Wow! Herzog's Land of Silence and Darkness

Just finished watching Werner Herzog's (who I get to meet tomorrow!) Land of Silence and Darkness about people who are both deaf and blind. When I actually stop to think about it, I'm always astounded by how our bodies interpret the world. The fact that I can watch (look and listen) to a film about people who don't have either of those capacities is fascinating. It is impossible for these people to experience themselves in the way I just have. I'm not sure why this strikes me as so poignant, but it does. Also, the film is so interesting as a way to understand human communication in general. One amazing scene shows some of the people going to the zoo. You see Fini, the main person in the film, just stroke the animals over and over again. The fact that she derives so much pleasure from her hand which is normally her tool of communication, and therefore loaded with meaning I'm sure to a greater extent than the average person's hand seems intriguing. The whole question of how are brains assign meaning to a body part, a word or any sign is endlessly fascination. And now for a plug: watch the film!