This chapter caught me off guard a little bit... it seemed a little outdated to me.
When I first hear the word "Karma" I think of the phrase what goes around comes around, I do not think of previous lives or reincarnation. I think that it is slightly crazy that people think that "a deaf or disabled person must have done something bad in a previous life to deserve the punishment of being born "defective." This phrase shows ignorance and holds absolutely no truth. Another absolutely crazy thing this chapter talked about was the Ancient Greeks would abandon their babies to die of starvation and exposure if their children were different. The only way I could justify this is with the fact that in early civilizations, anyone who was the least bit different was shunned and treated badly. I am in no way making this seem okay, but this is the only tiny bit of reasoning I could find in this situation.
As I continued to read this chapter it just seemed to give example after example of horrible instances: parents believing that they are punished through their children, deaf people not being considered fully human... all so crazy!!
Finally at the end there is a little light at the end of the tunnel... I definitely like the outlook that "a soul chooses to be born as a deaf person as a challenge or learning experience," this outlook is much more positive. I am also glad to hear that Deaf Muslims are making some degree programs and that they have their own Sign Language. This is something I have thought of before.... If Deaf people are still sometimes looked down upon and denied rights and freedoms in modern day America, then what is it like to be a Deaf person in another country, especially a developing country.
This chapter was overall eye opening! It makes me realize how lucky I am, as well as how ignorant people can be.
No comments:
Post a Comment