A little boy wanted a pet puppy. His father
agreed to grant his wish. They visited a pet
store to purchase a puppy. They were shown different varieties of pet puppies
by the shop-manager. He was eloquent about the smartness, beauty and pedigree
of each puppy in his collection. But the boy selected a weak, lame and limping
puppy lying alone in a corner of the room. The manager explained that it was permanently
handicapped, being born without a hip socket, and reminded that it was unable
to run, jump and play with him unlike the other healthy and active animals in
the store.
The little boy bent down and rolled up his pants and showed his
twisted and crippled legs which were supported by a specially fabricated orthopaedic
brace to assist him while standing and walking. He looked up at the store owner
and softly replied, “Well, I don’t walk so well myself, and the little puppy
will need someone who understands his weakness and disability!” The boy added, "That poor,
little puppy needs me and I need him. We need each other."
The
manager was compassionate. He told the boy that he could take the puppy free of
cost. But the boy did not agree. He strongly argued, “The lame puppy is not
worthless. We will pay for it the same price which you charge for the healthy
ones.”
Like the
lame puppy in the story, everybody deserves to be recognised, respected and
loved. Every person has his own value and should never be judged by his outward
appearance. Persons with disabilities need our special care, attention,
consideration and encouragement. With our sincere support, they can achieve
wonderful things in life and become an inspiration to all.
Albert
Schweitzer thought and wrote about the "fellowship
of those who bear the mark of pain." Those outside this fellowship usually have great difficulty
in understanding what lies behind the pain.
Jesus Christ spent much time with the ‘lost’, the ‘last’ and the ‘least’
in society. He displayed great compassion for persons with disabilities or
diseases. In the view of Mother Teresa, “The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being
unloved.” She said, “Kind words
can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. I see God
in every human being… Is it not a beautiful experience?”
We
may give without loving; but we cannot love without giving. Love is giving all
we can. Love is like a smile - neither has any value unless given away. Karl
Menninger said, “Love cures people - both the ones who give it and the
ones who receive it.” “Mother Teresa said, "It is not how much
you do, but how much love you put into what you do that counts.”
………………………………………………………………….
© By: Prof.
Dr. Babu Philip, Darsana Academy, Kottayam-686001, Kerala, India
( Former Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts
Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India), Prof. Mrs. Rajamma Babu,
Former Professor, St. Dominic's College, Kanjirappally, Leo.
S. John, St. Antony's Public School, Anakkal, Kanjirappally and Neil
John, Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath, Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally,
Kottayam-686507, Kerala, India.
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