Of blind prejudice...

The fact that you are born with eyes does not mean you see anything at all. If the eyes of your soul are cataract-ridden, you see the world through a cloudy haze that distorts unendingly and you grow so used to this distortion that you make no effort to achieve clarity of thought. Children, if left to themselves, un-poisoned by an adult’s hammering opinions, have very clear vision. My son stays clear of all those who judge him, he does not go towards minds that are so small they fail to understand his heart and since he will probably stay innocent all his life, his innate goodness will protect him from the  disgustingly cruel people that abound especially among those who are supposedly educated and well-off.

My partner at the centre Aks was quite upset the other day. Resembling a quivering ball of indignation, she vented on the lack of manners of the general population here in Bangalore. She had taken one of our kids to the McDonald’s at a small mall close to the centre. They were rude and unhelpful when it came to seating the child. Everyone looked at the kid like he came from another planet. They told her there was no space and that she would have to change her order to take-away. Of course they hadn’t bargained for a woman who spoke her mind. She accused them of incompetence and indifference and fought her way to a table. She made the child sit and eat his burger slowly. She chatted away with him trying to draw him into a conversation, ignoring the curious, disparaging looks of the ill-bred crowd. They then returned after the meal.

I let her vent out her hurt and anger. I pointed out softly that being a parent of an autistic child I already knew what was out there. There was no point in getting angry – even righteous anger would not help. Our much-vaulted Indian culture had no place for anyone who was less than perfect. The poor would remain poor. The disabled would be looked down upon. The different ones would be ridiculed. I see so many people who think that they are ‘good’ because they follow some unwritten code of ‘ethics’ that they have designed for themselves. These rules have loopholes larger than continents to fit in their personal failings. It is alright for them to do anything. But the rest of humanity is not allowed failings. They roam around this world spreading hate and prejudice in the guise of being pure. They carry about them the stench of a closed mind. For such good people, there must be reserved a very special hell indeed. 

I know all of that but I refuse to react. Aks has been exposed to this many times because she is courageous enough to take our kids to movies and restaurants and face the world. I have personally come across plenty of unseen prejudice and hatred that is masked by beady-eyed ‘goodness’. I have dealt with ‘educationists’ who ought to be shut away in asylums rather than be allowed to continue corrupting children’s minds. I have dealt with institutions that are so invested in making money they forget they are trading away the lives of children who need help desperately. 

My only hope comes from children themselves. The other day two smart teenagers came to the centre promising to help us build a community around our children. They want to make a difference. They told us they hadn’t seen anything as impressive as the lovely artwork created by our champions. They wondered why we hadn’t marketed ourselves at all. They want to bring their friends in. They want to spread awareness. And seeing the joy and respect in their eyes, I felt renewed. My cynicism takes a backseat and I let my being fill with hope once again…