By now I am sure you’ve read about 13 year old Maxwell Begley
from Newcastle, Ontario. A boy who’s
mother received a hate-filled letter from a neighbor who claims she should “do
the right thing” by either “moving or euthanizing him”. http://globalnews.ca/news/789411/oshawa-family-receives-hate-filled-letter-directed-at-autistic-son/
My heart goes out to this family who is clearly victim of a
hate crime, regardless of what the law calls it.
Currently the law in Canada pretty much states that a hate
crime will be called so if it’s a threat against race, religion, lifestyle,
age, etc, but NOT ability or size. Seems
a bit discriminatory don’t you think?
I have been blessed with having a job which expands my mind
and spirit. I understand that there are
some out there that don’t have the opportunities that I do. I get that some aren’t as spiritually
evolved. Everyone is in their own place
at the right time for them. But what I
can’t understand is how someone could be as heartless as suggesting death to a
spirited young man!
So here’s my rant.
Not getting too much into the details, autism is a
developmental disorder that is characterized by impairment in social
interaction and communication (verbal and non-verbal). The condition is a “Spectrum Disorder” which
means everyone who is Autistic is different – their lives are affected
differently than others with it. It is a
lifelong condition.
But regardless of how the person communicates, or interacts,
make no mistake they are still a human being!
When I was fresh out of school, I was blessed enough to have
been offered a job at a physiotherapy and sports injury clinic where I met and
treated people with a variety of injuries, and illnesses. As a new graduate, I was knowledgeable and
eager to treat as much as I could. But I
never imagined I’d be asked to treat a person with autism – a child with autism.
One day I was asked such a thing. With eyes wide as saucers, and a spirit full
of excitement, I accepted to take on this child. For the life of me, I cannot remember how old
he was, I just remember he was young, and his family was eager to learn some
techniques from me.
Slightly scared – because I only learned about it in school,
and didn't have the experience at the time – I took to researching the disorder as
much as I could so that I could help this little man. But even though the academics of my research
helped me to understand the disorder, it didn’t prepare me for the experience.
And what a rewarding experience it was! I half expected to go into that treatment
room running into difficulties as I nervously spoke to the parents about my own
knowledge about the incredible benefits of massage for autistic children – and children
in general. What I wasn’t prepared for
was how easy it was once I let go of my ego and fear of not knowing what I was
getting into. This child was full of beans,
yes, difficult to communicate with, yes. But the way the family loved their child, with
so much respect and honour, it opened my mind and eyes to what a beautiful soul
he was! It didn’t take long – 5 minutes
at maximum – for me to be completely humbled and feel so much honour to be
chosen to assist this child in his need for positive, nurturing touch (even
though clearly he wasn’t lacking it with a family so supportive as them).
So what can we learn from my experience? I invite you to understand that once we let
go of our ego, and educate ourselves rather than be ignorant and fear the
unknown, we can understand people of different abilities than ourselves.
And that’s what it comes down to, everyone is different. So
whether you have an amputation, mental disorder, stress, etc, everyone deserves
to be treated equally.
Let us not forget that Albert Einstein is said to possibly
have been on the Autistic Spectrum.
There are many famous people who are considered or may have had ASD – Mozart, Darryl Hannah, Tim Burton, Lewis Carroll,
to name a few. So, you tell me, does
Maxwell deserve to be euthanized or forced to move because someone is too
ignorant and/or fearful of something she doesn’t understand? Or does he, as a child, as a human being with a different ability
than ourselves, as a child of God, deserve to be loved, honoured, and
RESPECTED?
As the former is un-evolved, and hateful, I choose the
latter.
Have a health-filled day!
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