Friday, March 23, 2012

Who Are You To Decide it all?


While the school van dropped a kid off to his home I overheard some guys talking to each other. 'Oey! Ye bhi school jaata hai?' (Hey! Does he go to school too?) And the next guy replying 'Pata nahi isne madam ko kitna pagal kiya hua hoga'(I wonder how mad he must have driven his teacher). Not to mention, the kid we dropped is a mentally challenged child. After listening to this conversation I was left to wonder, who is the sane one there? The grown up guys who were mocking that little kid or that innocent child who was all smiling and going towards his home?
Looking at these kids, this question always comes in my mind; are these kids better or we, the so-called sane ones? I, personally, deal with these kids these days. What I discovered is that they are the most beautiful people around. You will always find them smiling. You look at them and smile and they will come hugging you. They don’t demand/desire for anything. They won’t bug you unnecessarily. You indulge them in an activity they are interested in and you can make them do it for hours. You just need to figure out their interests and trust me, they are the simplest.
Many people around ask me if these kids get violent or not? The answer is yes! They do. But, what I noticed is that they won’t ever hit you just like that. These kids generally are treated so badly that they get violent in self defence. They always expect you to hit them and to avoid that, they hit you beforehand. And that is not the usual case. That happens very rarely. You treat them nicely and they wouldn’t ever do that. They are so happy in their own good world that coming back to this real world becomes harsh for them. They will laugh, cry, jump around, talk to themselves and even pat their own back when they feel like. They are not the ones misfit here in this world; it’s us!
Handling special kids, of any sort, sure is a difficult task. It requires a lot of patience but a little extra effort can polish these gems into somebody we can never imagine. These kids do improve and move to the next level. Once we see the improvement they are sent to the slow learner group and then to the normal schools. And if not this all, the kid gets at least to a position where he can help himself. He can move around with the world. Isolating these kids is like a poison to the children and to the people around them too. Chaining them or not bringing them to the real world is the worst thing you can do to them. And if you think, these children should be killed once you come to know about their disabilities; you can’t get crueler.
It’s not easy, but, try treating these kids as normal ones with a little more care. They are much better than your usual spoilt brats. There is a rare chance that they will be mischievous. If you wish to see an improvement in mentally challenged children; you need to get to their level and break the shell they are confined to. Once you do it, you can make them do all. Just a little patience, forgetting all the stereotypical things about them, can do the magic.
You are no one to tag anybody as insane. You can never tell how much potential they have to achieve the impossible. These children strive harder than us all to live in this world. They bear with us all and can't even express how bad they feel. They already live a confused life, our harsh behaviours just make things worst for them. If you think they are retards; treat them like you are not one.

YOU CAN VIEW THE SIMILAR POST AT THE CAUSE BLOG

11 comments:

  1. Baseline: Respect. If people respect these kids, they will neither do too much nor do too little. Too much, the kid will feel invalid. Too little, the kid won't improve. They don't need a little extra. They just require a different approach - which is what one would do with everyone else. These kids have a special room in my heart. I grew up with one nearby, one as a relative, and two through my mother's stories.

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  2. I wish people [including I] open their heart and see them differently to realize "The Specialty" in them which they are blessed with and we don't.
    Jazak-al-ALLAH-al-Khair for be the voice of the innocents and keep sharing beautiful faith of yours. :)

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  3. Shed light on something that is quite grave... in all aggrieved societies.

    AND YOU SHOULD WRITE MORE OFTEN (something i've been reiterating since the beginning of the world!)

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  4. Beautiful! Well written, and reflects the reality. Special children are beautiful, and they must not be mistreated, in any way.

    I would like to add one more point. If we see a special child getting mistreatment, we should stop it, and protect that child. It's our responsibility to try stopping when anything wrong is in process.

    Keep writing, more :)

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  5. Our such attitude make these precious souls antisocial and seek revenge from the society. They need secu­rity and congenial atmo­sphere for their mental growth. We should make them feel that they are the useful part of the society.
    And as Hamilton said:"The only disability in life is a bad attitude."

    Brilliant Sara !

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  6. very well explained. Being in the field of medicine, I have learnt that it's the society that needs treatment rather than these young and energetic happy souls. They have been called names by the society knowing that the kid has nothing to do in the making of his physical or mental appearance. I agree that they are the easiest kids to handle and teach. You just have to know the right choice of the kid, and the kid will listen to each and everything you say. As it is said that they are the blessing for the society and how the society treats them, shows how good or bad the people of that society are.

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  7. it might sound very strange if you dont know me very well that i myself have been teacher till 2010. i somehow think that i know kids i might be wrong but one thing is sure that all kids are same, innocent and nice it is the so called "real" world that ruins the innocence and niceness of the kids by injecting "real world" traits in them and they become just like us who try to keep those in isolation who we declare to be mentally challenged. as you said that such kids are happy in their own good world, at least some one is happy in this problematic world. we should let them be happy rather than ruining their happiness with our presence.

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  8. Sara,

    I read this on other space but could not say anything at that time due to some problem in network. I fully agree with you on what you said.

    Take care

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  9. sara I read it with full attenti0n...and i'm appretiating t0 y0u........

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  10. Brilliant piece of writing. This goes to show that there are still people in this world who believe in equal opportunities for all types of kids. It amazes me how some people are so cruel and quick to judge these wonderful kids. Amazing piece of work, looking forward to reading more from you! :)

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  11. If u observe such kids with a 3rd eye u'll come to know they are living in a world inside the world, a world full of peace, where there is no hatred, busy with themselves, people call them special kids but I call them teachers of love and peace
    Keep it up girl

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