Hillary Clinton is a woman and riding the coattails of her husband's last name. George W. Bush looks like a monkey and is horrible at public speaking. Barack Obama doesn't have the experience and is a coke-head. Everybody makes assumptions about people, especially when it comes to a presidential election.
Because of my older sister Jessica, I try to refrain from such actions. Jess was born with a deletion of her fifth chromosome, causing her to be severely disabled. She cannot talk, walk, or do many things for herself. She needs care 24 hours a day, every day.
It teaches you about people.
For the first 16 years of Jessica's life, though she would make sounds, they would generally not amount to anything. However, on one fateful day we heard "Hi ma-ma." Obviously a little shocked, I wanted to hear it again, and almost on command "Hi ma-ma. Hi ma-ma." Now everyone is ma-ma. Whether it's me, her aid, my dad, my mom, or even the dogs, to her everyone and everything is "mama."
To me this is the essence of Jessica. So innocent, so sweet (except when she's pulling your hair because she wants a hug), to her everyone and everything is the same. I wish that other people would see Jessica like this. When my family goes anywhere, we still get stares, and there is always going to be the requisite finger pointing. I wish Jessica could be seen just like everyone else, just as she sees as everyone and everything.
Jessica could teach us all a lesson in politics. If you are a Republican, most likely you will vote for whoever the Republican candidate is. If you're a Democrat chances are you will vote for whomever the Democrats choose. However this may not be the case if people would treat Clinton, Obama, Rudy Giuliani, or whoever else runs, as people and not just as robotic candidates that they blindly follow.
At times I often find myself shuddering when I hear or see George W. give an impromptu response during a press conference. Instead of listening to what he has to say, my mind is already made up that he looks like Curious George or that he is stuttering. Yet if I look at my sister, there are similarities between the two. Bush has trouble communicating, obviously not in the same frame as Jessica, but still he has trouble. Why can I have patience with Jessica and not our president?
Jessica will never get to do some of the things that many people her age will do. She will most likely never be married, never get to vote or make any decision for herself, never go on an all-night drunken bender with friends. But hey, she'll also never have to feel the unmistakable hangover the next morning.
And this is how I like to think about Jessica, though she has missed out on several aspects of life, her disability has allowed her a different perspective and different advantages to life. She has the ability to make anyone laugh and brighten up everyone's day with just a smile. I have always felt that Jessica was a blessing brought into my family's life and mine to teach a lesson, and I am learning a new lesson from her everyday. Whether it is patience, the value of enjoying every day, or just knowing that someone loves you.
So why can't I have this same perspective? I wonder, if I were to close my eyes next time Bush speaks and just listen to his words, would I agree with him? Am I actually a closet Republican? Perish the thought.
One of my favorite memories of my childhood is Jessica's baht mitzvah. It was a celebration, a night all for herself. Jess loves temple. Whenever we get anywhere near the building she starts her high pitch screaming that does not relent until we leave. Normally I cannot stand temple, and I would use Jess as an excuse to leave the sanctuary. When she got too loud, I would "volunteer" to take Jess out for a walk. However on this night there were no such walks. A chocolate party sponsored by Friendly's capped the celebration. Like many people, chocolate is Jessica's weakness. Whether it is chocolate milk, chocolate cake or chocolate ice cream, Jessica loves her chocolate.
So as I am writing this I have come to a new resolution, I want to deal with everyday situations in the same way that I deal with Jessica. When making decisions about my personal life, politics or anything in between, I want to have the patience to make the correct decision, instead of just agreeing with the public perception.
