Straight from the heart

I have a lot of contentions with the Kennedy family, too numerous to go into here. But the Special Olympics is certainly not one of them. When it comes to persons with developmental disabilities, Eunice Kennedy Shriver got it right. And for that, she has my respect.
Mrs. Shriver put her money where her mouth was upon establishing what would grow into one of the largest not-for-profit charities in the world.
The Special Olympics has helped millions of physically and mentally handicapped people realize dreams and achieve a measure of success that you and I take for granted every day: self-respect.
Special Olympians face a daily struggle to overcome barriers that the average person does not have. These include, but are not limited to, the ability to live on one's own, to make choices and decisions independent of others, to care for oneself, to go where one pleases and when one pleases without supervision or permission, to pursue a career and profession, obtain an education beyond the high school level, and generally sustain oneself for oneself.
Now, this, of course, is not the lot of all developmentally disabled persons. Some are healthier and less severe than others. Some can work and hold a job. Some can raise a family of their own. Some can and have gone on to great things like college, a professional career, or the realization of special talents and gifts. But, in general, Special Olympians have limitations that normal, healthy individuals do not have.
The Special Olympics gives developmentally disabled persons the opportunity to achieve some measure of success in their lives, be it something as simple as inclusion and obtaining a sense of belonging.
I'll be the first to admit that when I was a kid, I would snicker and laugh at mentally retarded children in my school, because they were very different from me. There was something wrong with them. They weren't normal.
Well, I was partially right. Developmentally disabled people aren't normal; they're special.
Underneath their abnormalities, Special Olympians are human beings with a beating heart and a spirit, which can be seen from the divine spark in each of their eyes. They are deserving of a fundamental measure of respect, and the Special Olympics helps to give that much to them.
I can say from personal experience that developmentally disabled people are some of the most sincere, hard-working and dedicated individuals I've ever met. By and large, they do not manipulate others, because they do not realize that they have this power. They cannot really hate, because they have no understanding of the word and what it means, let alone what it looks like. They are not lazy or underachieving, because by their efforts, the most severe of them can best me any day of the week. They will give you their best without ever having to be asked, because they just want to be accepted, respected and loved.
On the other hand, Special Olympians have a very clear and concise concept of love, because they love unconditionally. They show extraordinary courage, because they don't know cowardice exists. They don't see barriers where we see them: color, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or even disabilities. In fact, many don't see barriers at all, because they have put none up in front of them.
Perhaps therein lies the big picture and the very point Special Olympics makes to the rest of the world: It exists not exclusively to help the disabled, but also for the disabled to help the rest of us see a life without barriers, that anything is possible when you set your mind to it, and the only obstacles we have in life are the ones we set before ourselves. Everything else that follows is just an excuse for not achieving what each of us is capable of.
The Special Olympics is much more than a catalyst for disabled people to set goals and achieve dreams. It is a conduit of knowledge, wherewith the disabled person is able to open the eyes of the non-disabled. When we see the world through the eyes of a child, suddenly everything seems so simple, so clear and a lot less muddled. If we allow ourselves to see the world through the eyes of a developmentally disabled person, many of whom are themselves children trapped in adult bodies, we stop stirring the mud from the bottom of the pool and suddenly see what was there all along: the truth about ourselves and our purpose in life.
The truth is, we are only as limited as the limits we place upon ourselves. And our purpose in life is to live to inspire others.
Special Olympians do this every day. They've done it to me. If you let them, perhaps they can do it to you, too.