I would like to share something here that has bothered me a lot. I imagine it could offend some but please hear me out.
I am on Facebook, have some friends, many of whom hang from my family tree. Among them are those who will post - what do you call them - beautiful 'cards' - bragging about how beautiful autistic people are, how beautiful down's syndrome children are, what a wonderful blessing they are to their home, etc. However, I never see any cards informing people how beautiful cancer is, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimers, etc. - what a great blessing it is to be thus afflicted.
I am very uneasy with the message of these 'cards'. (Can someone please tell me what the correct name is for these 'cards'?) Why is this so? I know the victim's families are working hard to get 'normal' people to accept the differences some are born with, to make room for them in society. I have no problem with that. My problem is this affliction occurs because of sin in the garden, like any other affliction, be it cancer, Parkinsons, etc. and why should one celebrate the natural consequences of sin?
And you know what? I cannot say much about this because our son-in-law also has a downs child. I also know he is not normal, requires special education, special consideration in many different ways that rattle some people - some justified and others not. I also know our son-in-law's family will be burdened with the care of this child as long as he lives. Some downs victims are intelligent and others cannot speak well, like this child. In my heart I feel so sorry that our SIL is thus burdened with the care of this child - he has had enough afflictions to deal with in his life without this one. It is an affliction, a burden. Yet, they would say he is a blessing. If he is such a wonderful blessing, how's come others do not see it as such? Others outside looking in do not comprehend any blessings.
This child deserves to be loved, cared for just like any other person who is normal or afflicted. The demands an afflicted person imposes upon the family will test their mettle to the max. Yet, God allowed it and He is there.
Is there a balance one can achieve between celebrating certain afflictions and still recognize the realities of it? Rather then convincing others how beautiful birth defects are, these promotions are having the opposite effect.
I guess I sense the victims' families are not being totally honest about this issue and this troubles me more then anything else. It would be refreshing for a parent of such a child to be totally honest about their struggle with this affliction.
If you disagree with me, that is ok. I will not debate this issue. I have thought long and hard on this issue and I am troubled by it on either side of it.
I suppose Frank will something to say...just hope he will not be offended. God bless.
Perhaps I can shed some light on the subject, being one of the Beautiful People in that I am on the autistic spectrum.
First of all, there is no correlation between a serious sickness and a genetic disorder like autism and Down's. The first person is classed as 'normal' but has contracted an illness and in some cases there will be a spiritual growth from the suffering but oftentimes there is not and there is anger instead. The sickness is no quarantee that it will be a blessing and in itself, it is not.
However, it is a different situation with people who have a developmental disorder which is usually classed as a disability but in reality, the disability is due to society being set up for and accepting of a certain type of 'normality' which excludes the people who have the disorder. It is the so called normal people who cause most of the problems for the different ones due to them thinking that someone in their eyes who is retarded, has no worth and that they are a 'burden' as you Ginnyrose said in your own words. I am sure that you s-i-l does not see it in this way. The families are indeed blessed to have one of these special people, and unfortunately for some of us, were not thought of as a blessing.
The truth is that these people have great value and have very positive qualities which usually only their close family see though some companies have become enlightened and will only employ ASD's.
Having spent some time on the autism forums, I can tell you that people on the spectrum say that most of their problems are due to having to deal with 'normal people' that is, neurotypical people and the main complaint apart from the huge misunderstanding about he condition, is that: neurotypicals are not honest and care more about relationships with others and keeping on the good side of them, more than desiring for and speaking the truth which an ASD will put first. They find it very hard to lie and to see others lie so easily and frequently and be so hypercritical, causes upset. They are also very loyal to others.
So it is not just a matter of being marginalised, which takes place all of the time, there are great difficulties regarding dealing with others for people who's brain has developed in a different manner which also makes them often more intelligent and logical even due to early increase in brain function, if it does not show and certainly will not show up educationally where the system is set up so that 'normal' people will flourish so they will underachieve.
I found that in school, I required an oversight on the subject before I could get down to learning the parts but by the time I had worked out the oversight on my own, it was too late for me to catch up with the others, to give a small example. I also needed to know whether the information was necessary to learn and made sense and if not, could not motivate myself to it.
So Ginnyrose, I believe that it is a good thing to let others know that these people are very special and if I dare say it, are more pure, innocent, loving and without guile than the normal person who has no neurological disability, and in fact the world would be a better place if they were recognised for the gifts they have and what they can teach the 'normal' ones, instead of being locked away and imagined to be burdens because they have different needs and find it so hard to cope because of the way society has been set up which often prevents them from becoming independent. Parents of these children see this clearly.
