Telling Stories

People often ask why I'm so passionate about politics. My diary isn't about politics but it's impossible to exclude it when the subject controls everything we do and can't do. When life gets a bit much and there's a risk of feeling down I always find the best way is to divert thoughts off self and focus on other things, lets face it, its attitudes and policies that make life so difficult for us all. With the right attitudes people would suffer less, have greater acceptance, easier access to things out of reach but taken for granted by the majority. Being accepted is such an important thing yet it seems in some way or another half my life has been spent battling for that and not just through disability.

Growing up in different places was a wonderful experience but unsettling too, there was always differences. I always had a different accent to the rest a different colour or culture, different dress only and only a limited few people ever let me feel I fitted in, its exactly the same with disability. People make all the right noises of objection when they see or hear of people suffering prejudice but regardless to how they sympathise it's impossible to understand what being different is unless you've been in that position. For example the child who's bullied because they are fat, even though the reason might have nothing to do with overeating, usually there's always someone who'll try and befriend them and any friend in difficult circumstances is worth so much, but that friend can't understand what the bullied child is going through but its impossible unless they have experienced it too. That's where the importance of acceptance and tolerance comes in. Its the same  story of everyone who is perceived as different for whatever reason.  Acceptance is such a big thing, being accepted for who we are rather than excluded because of physical things and tolerance can change everything.

We all dream of finding that one special person who doesn't see differences but accepts unconditionally and there's an awful lot of people out there who do that, see beyond physical limitations and love regardless. The prospect of high level dependency isn't something anyone wants to think of but millions have no option, those wonderful people who devote themselves to a partner or spouse dealing with ceaseless caring without complaint are some of the unselfish admirable people on earth. My general health is quite good, my life expectancy is good too, but my dependency rate will at some point in the not so distant future will be extremely high, more to the point my communication skills will be almost non existent. Its not self pity, its realism when you can't discuss simple daily events, talk about the news, who said what, talk about all those little things partners talk about then it takes the idea of a relationship into a whole new spectrum. Deafblind people do have relationships they communicate with each other and quite proficiently too, but its extremely unusual for a sensory intact person to be able to cope full time with all the needs and shortcomings of a deafblind person. I suppose most disabled people feel they wouldn't want to impose on an able bodied partner, it's a horrid thought and one I wouldn't consider lonely or not.

Everyone aims to hold onto as much independence as possible for as long as they can, so keeping an interest in politics and continuing the quest for acceptance and tolerance and more compassion from the very top would really set the way for everyone else...