DISABILITY IS NOT A CURSE

You never can know until you actually know. The mirror is my reflection they say, I stood there not on a mere admiration of my appearance but to vividly look keenly into my inner self and ask myself the very cogent rhetorics am in search of answers to.

Who am I ? Am I who they define me to be or whom I define myself to be ? What if ? Just what if I woke up blind tomorrow, deaf or dumb, what happens to me? Who will care? How will my loved and beloved ones react? Will the society pity my existence or shun me? Whose loyalty will I earn? Who will be there under what may? I ask, what happens to my existence?
Now, I turn the questions around, just what if something tragic befall the ones I acclaimed love to rendering their physical abilities useless. Will I be there for them? Will I remain loyal to loving under whatever circumstances?
Actually, not any can give sincerity to such questions neither can I too.
Disability is a stigma no one likes to purchase. But, life can't be fair for all. What then happens? Shall we stop existing because life is mean to us? Of course not!

Look around and you will see things of different sizes, shapes, heights, lengths, widths, volumes, and breadths. They all serve different purposes. If you tell me there are obstacles against breakthrough, I will tell you, you have to break every inch of the obstacles to get through.
How? 

“I was born without sight, with no traces of blindness in my family traits. I have never experienced sight, so I had no idea how it is. But I do things normal kids would do. I jumped gutters, chased native fowls around the neighborhood, many at times fell into ditches, ran into people, fond of falling off and getting injured. For me, it was fun but they always have a pitied remark that made me wondered whey they feel sorry for me. It then occurred to me, they do because I am blind. But sorry, am not sorry. Blindness cannot define my ability, I define who I wants to be and I won't be enslaved by circumstances beyond my known”. Cobhams Asuquo - A Nigerian prominent singer and music producer.
My father's long time friend was tragically involved in a car accident that got one of his legs amputated, but, this man mesmerized me. He dabbled into politics, was made an adviser by the preceded governor in my home city-state. He flustered with-only-God- knows-what kinda strength everyday. His everyday means better chance for him even without a balance motor ability. He often say “Nothing hinders one from moving forth in life. My circumstances only teaches me more to be a better person”. 

During high school was my head prefect boy who walked in an unimaginable postural movement as a result of a clinical syndrome known to be gluteal muscle contracture affecting his pelvic rotations, making him physically imbalanced and surviving with pains. However, his physical ability limitation never limits him. He unconsciously makes life inspiring. He is active in sports, intelligent, smart and confident, believing in his strength rather than weakness. Today- he's a pharmacist, writer, blogger, and a media publicist. “Inner peace I lived on”, he says.

These persons I cited are just a few of so many special ones who have made disability their ability, fighting against all odds, especially in a world filled with able beings. Where we see weakness, they see strength.
A blind man care less about how people see him, the deaf cannot listen to what they say about him, people with sights care more about other people's definition of themselves, we are who distractions have wrapped in tightly up its sleeves, affecting how we move towards reaching our goals and that is one problem of sight. Ability to see isn't the problem but how we see things in life, the perception to how we define life throw us into possibilities.

What we are remains when dead, we are what is when alive, only the end shows what we have offered or imputed into life. In view of this fact, nothing stops you, except you. Not situations, or circumstances, nor hindrances, neither obstacles. 

When the bible tells us to learn from the ants, the old man wasn't hallucinating, there are lessons of life in worthless things, in little things. The destitute, the physically challenged, the abnormals, the scorned, the less privileged, the handicapped, and many special ones we whole refers to as less whole are worth learning from. They are not normal, we can say but if they can inspire, then their abnormality only makes them a different being. And to be different, you can't just be normal. One require a will to stand out more - you take charge of your existence, finding your essence, thereby bettering our life amidst obstacles, daring life situations, and in making these choices, one cannot just be normal.

If a person born without arms and legs rendering him unable shows the world he is able, then if am whole, and physically fit, I just want to be disable to be able, rather than being fit and unable. Their inability is my ability.
What is my ability? How do I see myself? Who am I? What makes me up? All these are essential questions only you and I can find answers to now that we are still here.

In collaboration with Authentikminds.blogspot.com