It simply amazes me to think that one child can be born perfectly normal, while another child can be born that very same minute and be mentally disabled. The child who was born normal has so many oppurtinites ahead of him right from the word go, yet the child who is mentally disabled immediately has a limited range. Not because he chose to be that way, but because he was born that way. It's really sad when you think about it.
Look beyond that though, and you run across something else entirely. Look at the parents that are taking care of that child. They still love him (or at least the good ones do), and they still want him to live his life as fully as he can. So they're still given a shot to live, just things might be a little tougher for them. The child is still surrounded by parents who love him, he can still appreciate many of the things that makes life what it is. So ultimately when it comes down to it... he's just different. Just like how I'm different from a lawyer, and how you're probably different from your best friend. He's no less human then any of the rest of us.
Or how about people who become disabled through war? Talk about rough. *shudders* Not only do you have to deal with all of the emotinal scars of the battlefield, but you also have to struggle with physical ones as well. Gah! I just can't force myself to throw in a cute anime pic. This entry is too serious.
So how did this topic come up anyways, you might ask? xD I am getting a little preachy here, so I want to explain how this thought process came up. There's this kid at my college campus, maybe a year or two older then I am. I used to run into him everyday, and at first I found it kinda hard to look at him. You could tell, from the very second you saw him, something wasn't wired right. From the way he walked, to the way he talked, to his problem solving skills.... it just wasn't right. So whenever he popped up, I would just basically ignore him as best as I could. That was until one day, I actually had a conversation with him. He's a sweet guy!
It really made me think about things, and now whenever I see him (it is still a bit awkward, I will admit), I'm filled with a sort of admiration. He isn't likely to get married, he isn't likely to have a real relationship with anyone outside of his own family (if anyone does actually reach out to them, god bless their soul, they have more heart then I'll ever have), yet he's still on the college campus taking classes. He's still living. He has thoughts and emotions just like the rest of us (however simple they may be).
I just find it fascinating how different we all are. We're all wired differently, we all have different tastes and interests, and some of us are born with a better advantage then others. Yet we're all just truckin along together. It really opens your mind to alot of things, like how the way the world works now is probably far more accepting and loving then in any other point in time. We've improved quite a bit. Enough so that a handicapped child could grow up and get some sort of education, just like anyone else.
:) Hope I didn't get too preachy for you guys. *bows and leaves cookies* Next time I update, I should talk about anime or something. This blog needs more geeky entries!
