How many stars are in the sky right
now? People in New York would claim that they could barely see any stars, and the
people in Australia would say that they were wrong, that there were actually a
billion in the sky. Both of these people are actually right. Whether you are viewing
them from the Empire State Building in New York or the outback in Australia,
the number of stars is the same. Stars
become harder to see, or invisible, in large cities due to the amount of light
in the city; therefore giving the effect that there are less stars. The light
blinds us from seeing the beauty of the night. But no matter how much light
there is you are always able to see the moon. Like the light blinding people
from viewing the beauty of the stars, our society is also blind. We are blind
in the sense that we can’t see the beauty of others, because we let the physical
appearance of someone determine how we act towards them. Why is this? Why does
the appearance of a man, the result of one single chromosome, establish how you
treat him? This shouldn’t be the case. Our society is blinded. Instead we
should decide how we treat someone based on what is in his heart. Some of the kindest
people I know live with a disability. Every day in high school they would say
hi to me in the hallway, and every day I choose to love them. I loved them not because
I felt sorry for them. No. I loved them not only because it is what I am called
to do by God, but because they were easy to love. The people I know with a
disability are people too. People with a kind heart are easy to love. I said
earlier that no matter how much light, you could always see the moon; the moon
is your reflection. No matter how blind you are to what is around you, you are
always able to see yourself. Think about that, are you happy with the way you
go about your life and treat others? If all the stars in the sky fade away
would you be happy hanging out with yourself forever?
With that question in mind I challenge everyone that reads
this to do two things:
- Ban the word “Retard” from your vocabulary. It is demeaning and just plain wrong. It should be looked at as one of the most hurtful cuss words you could say, because if you ask a family member of a person with a disability they would probably tell you that it is extremely disrespectful.
- Stop being blind. Open your mind to the things unseen. Seek to know the heart of others, not just who they are on the outside, and start being someone you would want to live with forever.
Oh P.S. here is a super cute video of kids with Down Syndrome and kids without being asked what they want to be when they grow up.
