I knew I'd love this book from Jonathan Mooney when I read its sub-title:
Not only did I love it - it changed my perspective and hopefully, will help me change my life.
Mooney grew up with labels and around other kids who carried the weight of their own socially-imposed tags. ADD. ADHD. Retarded. Short bus rider. Down syndrome. Learning disabled.
Mooney writes that he'd get so ill in elementary school, just thinking about having to read aloud in front of his peers. He's get so ill that he'd vomit in the school bathroom. Mooney did end up graduating from Brown University. But his own story and the journey he takes when he buys a "short bus" and road trips around the country, interviewing others with "abnormal" labels and their families, illustrates that many of the social constructs of "NORMAL" that we indoctrinate ourselves with and abide by, are more or less total shit.
Obviously, that's a very brief description of the book. Pick up a copy of this MUST READ. It will make you consider how you see and treat others; make you consider how others see and treat you. Hopefully, it will help you catch a clearer glimpse of humanity, our view of which is so often and so easily skewed.
I think of "The Short Bus" all the time - the lessons it reminded me of and the inspiration it fostered in me to do something better in the world; to make a greater difference.
I haven't found a channel for that inspiration yet - but my hope is strong that future opportunities will present themselves. In the meantime, I celebrating Mooney's "Journey Beyond Normal," and thriving in my own "beyond normalcy" every day.
No comments:
Post a Comment