Yeah, now there is a post title that will guarantee no readers! But, maybe someone will read this anyway. It is interesting, that the post which I think are of value, will dredge up perhaps 3 reads in a month. Write something of not much value, with a good title, and it will score into the hundreds that month! My continually most popular post, on Thoughts From The Little Apple, still draws about 35 views per month (with just as many downloads!) ... and it was just meant as a light-hearted romp! We are talking reads well into the tens of thousands here! Yeah, this post will not be quite so popular - but it needs to be said.
I grew up the eras of post-World War II and the Cold War. I lived all of my youth in-on-around NATO bases. I went to NATO schools (US and Canadian) in France, Germany and the US - up until 10th grade when I then went to a civilian high school, through graduation. And it never dawned on me that I had never seen a disabled person the entire time!
I was in 11th grade, in a conversation about WWII when it struck me; in all of those battles, there must have been massive casualties, and if so, then where were they? I tried the library index at Lowry Air Force Base - but nothing to be found there. Fitzsimmons Army Medical Post library index also did not have much to share either. I was in a special program so had to have weekly reviews with the doctors at Fitzsimmons, so since my quest was being frustrated, I asked one. His answer left me rather cold.
It seems, at the start of the war, the German's executed those in the rehabilitation centers, those permanently in long term care, and those whom had been identified as not being able to work. But, what about the Germans after the war? Because, there sure were never any seen by me! And they mostly lived in hospital environments it seems. I have no concept of what kind of a German would turn their back on their war disabled ... and yet, it smacked of truth. In my village of 750, there were NO injured or maimed war veterans, and yet, they must have existed.
And in America? The doctor laughed and waved his hand towards the ceiling - towards the wards above. "Right now I have over 700 from Vietnam, a building of Korean War vets and then we have the WWII permanently disabled ....." They housed thousands, forgotten, just waiting to die ... Some had visitors, but not many - nor often. That made an impact on me.
In high school I had a friend, his name was either Steve or Kirby, it has been so long I can not remember which brother was the older - so, let us say his name was Kirby. Kirby had contracted bone cancer and lost a leg. I had no ability to relate to his disability, but I could be his friend and help him around school and include him in my tiny social life (Boy Scouts). And, in 12th grade he died a lingering death - and I was a good friend during that time as well.
So, although my exposure to the disabled was small, I had a little - just enough to be uncomfortable with how they are treated, but then again, I was not human back then either. But, God saw to it that I would be made human, and then I would lose the same leg as Kirby had. So, learning, adjusting, fighting ... And, now I have a much stronger affinity to Kirby and his struggles. Now I understand why I never see the disabled out and about as well. But, I refuse to make that choice!
Sunday, I read on the Yahoo News about a Japanese guy whom killed 19 with a knife and wounded another 24. Well, that was intriguing, so I read up on the incident.
A Japanese man whom worked at a garden supply store, went next door and started slicing and dicing at two in the morning ... But, why?
It seems he was tired of the patients at the next door hospital for the disabled!
So, he decided to kill as many as he could.
And suddenly Adolf Hitler's cleansing of Germany was remembered by this worthless brain I now have. The society norm as to put them out of sight, out of mind. Then the purge became easy, even convenient, once madness had taken over the land.
Surprisingly, the man had worked at the hospital in the past, had been training to be a teacher for the disabled - and something, somewhere went awry. He turned himself in to the police afterwards.
We live in a broken world, where perspectives are easily squede - the result always being the cheapening of human life. God says it is important, it is man whom disagrees when society allows for life - in this case: disabled human life, to be regarded as valueless.
... Sigh ...
Human life is precious.
That is why inequality, murder, war, slavery and pornography are so appalling!
You devalue life so all of these may become possible.
But, then, it is not your life which is being devalued!
Yet ...
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