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Preparation Of Persons With Mental Retardation For Adult Living
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| 66 | Jean Vanier, whose vision, faith, and wisdom resulted in the creation of some 45 small homes in nine countries around the world for handicapped men and women who were either roaming the streets, locked up in asylums, or just living idly, in a recent speech made an observation that sums up better than I could what I have tried to convey to you. He said: | |
| 67 | A man or woman can only find peace of heart and grow in motivation and creativity if he or she finds a meaning to life. If handicapped people are there only to be helped and can bring nothing to others, then they are condemned to a life of simply receiving, of being the last, the most inferior. This will necessarily bring them to depression and a lack of confidence in themselves. This in turn will push them into anguish and make them aggressive towards themselves and others. For them to find real meaning in life, they must find people who sense their utility, their capacity for growth and their place in the community and in the world. (Vanier, 1974) | |
| 68 | Jean Vanier has given us the challenge. Will we be ready to meet it? | |
