tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33821576.post-27632190820307934062007-05-01T23:38:00.000-07:002007-05-02T00:19:30.491-07:00Aw, shoot! It's Blogging Against Disablism Day, and it's 11:39 PM PST!!! Well, better late than never, I suppose.<br /><br />Today I celebrated Beltaine with the Congregationalist Wiccan Association. Beltaine is a spring fertilitity festival. We celebrated by dancing around a Maypole. A Maypole is basically a big long stick with a bunch of long ribbons tied to it. Each person grabs a ribbon and dances around the Maypole while weaving the ribbons around each other. The Maypole is symbolic of the phallus, and the ribbons are symbolic of femininity. Despite being stiff and sore, it went well, because the dance went slowly, out of consideration for the disabled people. <br /><br />Speaking of disabilities and paganism, I made a new disabled pagan friend, and I just love her. I mean that, you know. Some people I love right away and she's that kind of person. She also has chronic pain disorders and a lousy immune system. We've been chatting a lot about life with pain. Right now, she's dealing with a lot of the stuff I've been through. She's not able to work, and not able to do a lot of the things she used to be able to do. She turned to me today and said, "It's so hard to tell people when I'm not able to do something that used to be easy for me. It just steals my soul to have to admit that I can't do something."<br /><br />I know all too well what that feels like. I have to do that a fair bit. I'm getting to the point where I've actually stopped feeling bad about it. I guess eventually one develops a thick skin. After 20-odd years, it's about time! I think part of the reason I'm able to admit weaknesses without shame is because I have a community of understanding people. It helps when people don't shame you for not being able in certain areas.<br /><br />It also helps that I've become acquainted with the concept of ablism. Ablism is the belief that if people aren't able to do what most people can do, that this makes them inferior or lesser. Ablism is being biased towards the able-bodied, and favoring what people can DO, instead of who they ARE. In an ablist world, it doesn't matter if you're kind, generous, and accepting. It doesn't matter if you're encouraging and supportive. It only matters that you produce, and accomplish. I believe that in many ways, this is the byproduct of a world obsessed with industry and action. In today's work-a-day, 9-to-5, office ant world, people who can't keep up with The Standard are worthless.<br /><br />People with disabilities are often told that if they can't do what others can do, they should focus on what THEY can do. This is a good concept, but some people with disabilities are incapable of doing much of anything. I certainly have days where I can't do anything physically, and I even have days when I'm unable to apply myself intellectually. I think that in that case, PWDs should focus on who they can be, and who/what they love. In the end, that is all that really matters, anyway.<div class="blogger-post-footer">This is my footer.<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33821576-2763219082030793406?l=arthriticyoungthing.blogspot.com'/></div>Zephyrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13020297752831113924noreply@blogger.com4