What if you want to be average? What if you would be perfectly happy blending in? As a blind person, that's harder to do. Not impossible, depending on the setting, but you definitely stand out in certain scenarios where you wouldn't as a sighted person. While there are many people who love the attention, or at least, love the ways in which it can get you noticed, there are many other ways in which one can stand out too that wouldn't involve holding a cane or walking with a guide dog.
It's not all bad, by any means. And I think if I hadn't had such a crap ton of bad experiences as a child, my blindness wouldn't have played such a big role in shaping who I've become. For example, No one would dream of telling an abuse victim that their skittishness and other ill effects of the abuse are just a minor setback, would they? Maybe that's a bad example, but I can't seem to come up with a better one off the top of my head.
My point is, as a blind person, you can't just be content with being average. You do have to work harder in some ways, such as with finding employment. You can't start from the bottom and work your way up with retail or fast food jobs, as most people do. That does put you at a disadvantage, because most blind people I've known have had to start writing their resumes later as a result. Employers notice that. They wonder why they should hire someone who they need to provide accomodations for, and just what were they doing in all of those years when their peers were working?
These are just a few of the considerations that can make life more difficult for us. Yes, I get that sometimes we have useful skills that some sighted folks do not. The hard part is being able to use them in a way that makes a contribution to society when people don't believe in us. When you grow up around people whose first question is, "so, what do you do?" Clearly wanting you to wax poetic about your job, and you don't have one, that kind of does shut out oppurtunities for socialization, and possibly even future networking. When your response to that question has to necessarily be nothing, people aren't usually tolerant of that, at least not in my experience. Then again, as I said, I'm from a rural area, where a lot of older folks live, and they're pretty set in their ways about how life should work.
Also, being self taught about subjects is a great thing, but again, not everyone wants or needs to be so driven. If a sighted person doesn't have to do this, why should we just to deserve to be taken seriously? Personally, I've always loved to read. I soak up information like a sponge. At the age of 7 or 8, I taught myself how to use a Braille Lite 40 that my school bought for me. I also practically taught myself JAWS a few years later, how to use the internet, and many other computer concepts as well. People were always impressed by this, but I say anyone can do it if they want to. It's just a matter of whether it's both within their interests and skill set.
Speaking of which, i've always heard that blind people make great entrepeneurs, because it kills two birds with one stone. We avoid the unemployment curse, and we further our cause to make society understand that we're just like everyone else. But, again, not everyone is cut out to run a business. I would be awful at it. I'm not good at math, and I'm also an introvert. My best friend, on the other hand, has exactly what it takes, and is working on this now. he's extremely charismatic and will doubtless be great at it. He never wanted to start a business because he felt he had to, though. He just happens to be passionate about what he does, and it shows, which of course is another huge reason why he'll be successful no matter what hurdles and setbacks he faces.
I just wish that it was more acceptable to be yourself, whether you're the next Bill Gates or just an average blue collar Joe, regardless of whether you have sight or not.
The glass is neither half empty nor half full. It's just holding half the amount it can potentially hold.