As part of the activities surrounding His Holiness the Dalai Lama's visit to Emory University, there is a 24 hour live webcam of the construction of a sand mandala of Chenrezig.
Super long personal comment go!deleriumdDecember 21 2007, 05:16:26 UTC
I told my mother about this entire exchange and she got this really sad look in her eyes, I'm only 23, and before I was born she was a special education teacher and this was when Autism was pretty 'brand new' so to speak.
And she still speaks fondly of a young boy who was hell bent on going to the moon and eating lemons.
She told my sister and I that sometimes, diseases like these happen to children, and it's no one's fault and the children need love just as mch as any other child.
I know a part of her sees that things have gotten better for children with Autisim, but that's only on the 'inside level' families and doctors. The outside world sees nothing more than 'craziness'.
My boyfriend went to a conference of Autism, and I filled him in on some of the details (he's anthro, I'm psych) and he was really mad at 2 women who somehow were invited, neither were doctors, therapists, or ladies of science.
One was a mother who lucked out, her son was at the 'worst' end of the spectrum, and seems to miraculously developed into the lightest end of the spectrum. And the way she talked made it sound as though all children will expierence this, and it was very difficult for the doctor to say "No, you are ONE in a million. You are lucky and it would be foolish of you to give others false hope when you do not know the future, or all autistic children."
The second was just as bad, but stranger.
Whenever the scientists doing research on Autism and causes, links etc, this woman would stand up and yell out "What about Gluten?!"
She seems to think that Gluten consumption= Autism and right now, as far as I know there are no 100% causal links.
But she would just not let up, even faced with overwhelming evidence with no confounds, she was convinced that her anecdotal evidence was fact.
But yes, long boring personal things.
I just wanted to give you some faith that there are those of us who have not been touched directly by Autism, but we understand as best we can.
I'll light some incense for your family when I go to temple (I am Buddhist) and pray, it's the least I can do.
Re: Super long personal comment go!deleriumdDecember 21 2007, 19:55:01 UTC
Ahh but you weren't really, while you did get angry, you did not actually go out and hurt anyone, and you've also learned that you have an area within you that can be worked on to achieve peace and serenity.
That and we are all human, and have not achieved enlightenment, to compare ourselves to his holiness and Gautma, Maitreya or Kuan Yin is a folly because we will always fail and become disenfranchised.
It takes a long time to let go of those feelings which make us quick to anger because they have such personal roots, and there is no shame in anger itself, so long as you control it and don't let it consume you or react upon it.
And she still speaks fondly of a young boy who was hell bent on going to the moon and eating lemons.
She told my sister and I that sometimes, diseases like these happen to children, and it's no one's fault and the children need love just as mch as any other child.
I know a part of her sees that things have gotten better for children with Autisim, but that's only on the 'inside level' families and doctors. The outside world sees nothing more than 'craziness'.
My boyfriend went to a conference of Autism, and I filled him in on some of the details (he's anthro, I'm psych) and he was really mad at 2 women who somehow were invited, neither were doctors, therapists, or ladies of science.
One was a mother who lucked out, her son was at the 'worst' end of the spectrum, and seems to miraculously developed into the lightest end of the spectrum.
And the way she talked made it sound as though all children will expierence this, and it was very difficult for the doctor to say "No, you are ONE in a million. You are lucky and it would be foolish of you to give others false hope when you do not know the future, or all autistic children."
The second was just as bad, but stranger.
Whenever the scientists doing research on Autism and causes, links etc, this woman would stand up and yell out "What about Gluten?!"
She seems to think that Gluten consumption= Autism and right now, as far as I know there are no 100% causal links.
But she would just not let up, even faced with overwhelming evidence with no confounds, she was convinced that her anecdotal evidence was fact.
But yes, long boring personal things.
I just wanted to give you some faith that there are those of us who have not been touched directly by Autism, but we understand as best we can.
I'll light some incense for your family when I go to temple (I am Buddhist) and pray, it's the least I can do.
Reply
I am in the internal process of becoming a Buddhist, myself. I was a VERY BAD Buddhist today. Right speech, anyone? ;-)
Reply
That and we are all human, and have not achieved enlightenment, to compare ourselves to his holiness and Gautma, Maitreya or Kuan Yin is a folly because we will always fail and become disenfranchised.
It takes a long time to let go of those feelings which make us quick to anger because they have such personal roots, and there is no shame in anger itself, so long as you control it and don't let it consume you or react upon it.
Reply
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