Each human being in whatsoever state is still a wonder of God; everyone has a purpose to live and a message to give
There exists somehow no perfect and “normal” human being in the world having excellence in his trait and attitude. Human beings are different, in colour, stature, size, in outlook and ethnicity. We are all born different even if we are born to the same biological parents. Not all have the good luck to be born normal and healthy; some are born with rare diseases, physical and psychological abnormalities and sometimes with no hope of a cure.
We normally feel at home with people who appear normal, attractive or renowned. People with whom we communicate and relate and are of our standard and expectations. There is nothing so heroic in such interactions. It is natural for us to look for such people and be friendly towards them. Little do we think or feel for persons who are outwardly not handsome, born with birth defects or have no pleasant appearance. However, on the contrary, there are real heroes and brave characters, who despite their physical deformities show courage in their approach to life. They have developed a strong will to live and accept themselves as they are. Certainly, there are also people with normal health condition who recognise such deformities and accept such people as equal partners; they build up a genuine relationship with each other and some do it for life. There are several life-stories of such people in the social-media.
It is sadly an inborn trait in human nature to gape at people with human anomalies. How many people would stare at a decent man with a huge head or a tumorous face? A few of us could feel the human tenderness in his or her heart and communicate just naturally with persons who appear with bodily defects. For some, it could be a nauseating experience even to relate to such human beings. Starring at a person with bodily deformity could make him conscious of himself and unwanted. Then such an unfriendly gaze drives home a message that the person has a lower status, just because he or she is born different. Such attitude and unfriendly comments can cause deep hurt feelings especially in social media or in their presence.
Society has treated and treats persons with deformities and rare sicknesses with arrogance, unacceptance violating and causing harm to their very human dignity and rights. People often judge the handicap of the person merely from their bodily condition and oversee their intact mind and soul. What makes a person a person? What gives him or her his or her inalienable dignity and identity? That is a good question in dealing with people’s popular reactions towards bodily deformities in other persons. Generally, we give much importance and preference to bodily perfection than to the mental and spiritual state of the persons, who are not accessible to us. Humans are made of three parts- body, soul and spirit - the tripartite nature of man. What our eyes perceive and judge as eye-catching, we tend to show our attention and appreciation. Such judgement and attitude are definitely shallow and unintelligent. Then what we notice by our sight is nothing but the external form. Just like looking at a disfigured mango could not fully tell us about its taste. Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944), a French aristocrat, writer and aviator, wrote in his most successful work “The Little Prince” (1943), about the most important truths of life for attaining true happiness, “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” The Little Prince has captured the attention of readers throughout the world. The story may be simple at the surface, but this little prince is wise and his message of compassion and goodwill continues to endure. The beauty in the other person can be perceived only with the eye of the heart and not through the eyes. Then even an ugly and appalling appearance of a person possesses rich treasures in his heart, they are found truly not on the surface. Jesus, who knew the hearts and minds of people, once accused the Pharisees harshly calling them blind guides. They had eyes, but they could not see the truth of God (Joh 9,39-40). We may have eyes and yet not comprehend.
Some with physical deformities have become celebrities. One of them is Nick Vujicic, born in 1982, with tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disorder characterised by the absence of arms and legs. Nick delivers the best motivational talks and inspires persons all over the world to live life consciously. He overcame his life’s challenges and hindrances through the strength and hope in Jesus Christ to which he clearly testifies.
The greatness of a person is measured not by his appearance, how perfect complexion or body structure he or she has. Each human being in whatsoever state is still a wonder of God. Everyone has a purpose to live and a message to give.
