We visited Honeywood Museum primarily to see the Chinese New Year Exhibit. This was in the form of a followable trail around the numerous floors of the building – finding and locating each of the 12 Zodiac animals (printed-out) associated with the Lunar New Year (in Vietnam – the Rabbit shares with the Cat – making 13). However, whilst engaged in this endeavour, we located an Exhibition celebrating the fact that Disabled people – despite possessing certain “enhanced needs” in certain areas of their lives – can still excel in other areas provided they are granted the relevant support from society at large. An individual might suffer from some type of self-limiting body or cognitive function on the one-hand – but still possess the ability to develop their other capacities to a remarkable degree. This can only happen if the relevant assistance is granted. This is because a disability inflicts an “unfair” disadvantage in society that individual will-power (on its own) cannot solve or remedy. Once that gap is bridged, however, disabled people can and often do thrive!
Of course, this might not be the case due to severity – but each human being should be granted dignity. Whatever the case, the able-bodied society at large should not “punish” those who happen to possess a disability – just because such an individual requires assistance here or there. Punishing the poor and needy derives from the Christian notion of “charity” – which suggests god is punishing the impoverished and the disabled for an imagined (or unseen) “sin” of some kind. This attitude has been taken on by modern capitalist society as disabled people, due to their enhanced needs, are not as efficient to exploit for naked profit as their able-bodied colleagues are. Given a chance and appropriate support, many disabled people are able to contribute to society. In the cases where they are not – such individuals should be cared for with compassion by society at large. A disabled person still possesses untapped capabilities that are obscured by a single disability – due to being crushed-down by the conservative forces in operation throughout society. Liberal capitalism can only get disabled people so far – as I believe a Revolutionary attitude is required to free the mind and body of the disabled person from the oppressive weight of predatory capitalism.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 