The Struggle for Self-Acceptance - Essay Example

The struggle for self-acceptance The struggle for self-acceptance The struggle for self-acceptance can be very challenging as human emotions are complex, and each day individuals are introduced to new situations that may lead them to question themselves. The situation is further intensified as each individual is unique and may have attributes that do not conform to the societal norm. Many individuals who have a mental illness or disability find it difficult to find love and acceptance from others and themselves. Many people grow up under the teachings of equality; however, the sad truth is that this aspiration is far from reality. People, who are different, such as those with disabilities, are frequently directly and indirectly segregated and psychologically tortured to the point where many of them possess difficulties in self-acceptance. People who have disabilities are exactly the same as those that are fully able and they should receive the appropriate amount of attention be accepted by individuals in the community as this will help them cope with their disability. The situation of individuals suffering from a disability and their interaction with the world has been addressed from many different perspectives. One of the main elements that have been stated to be deficient in these individuals’ lives is love and acceptance. These individuals have been found to be lacking someone who can provide them with love and attention. According to statistics, individuals with a disability are more likely to have a relationship with an individual who also has a disability. Regardless of the equality principles that the majority of individuals in society are accustomed to as children, the lesson itself is more of an aspiration than reality. Individuals in the community indirectly or directly discriminate against people who are different and having a disability could be very challenging. Regardless, there are many programs and awareness campaigns that illustrate the message of equality and acceptance. A short video entitled Silent Love on YouTube by Codcast illustrates how a person with a disability may have some problems with expression and interaction with the one he or she loves. The video has a young man who is handsome and sits on the train with his notepad opposite to an attractive lady every day. Each day the two take the same seats, however they never interact. The young man sketches something in the notepad whilst the lady listens to music, reads a book or simply looks out the window. However, as the video progresses one can see that the two individuals have a mutual attraction for one another. From the young man’s perspective it is rather obvious, as when the girl is late he begins to frantically look for her and smiles when he eventually occupies the seat. On the other hand, the lady also notices the young man as she appears to be struck by an emotion of sadness when towards the end another man occupies his sea. In fact, the young lady attempts to make some communication with the young man by asking him the time. This illustrates the first problem that individuals in the world face when they have a disability. In this situation, the young man is unable to express himself as he is dumb and eventually the man next to the lady tells her the time. There may be a combination of reasons why he is unable to express himself and these include the fact that he is shy of his disability or the possibility that the woman he loves may not be accommodating to the fact that he cannot speak. However, towards the end of the video, the man prepares to make his first move. He takes a long time at the mirror preparing himself, which is an illustration that individuals experience the same emotions whether they are disabled or able. When the young man finally occupies the seat that is next to the lady he takes a few second before showing him the drawings he has been making the whole time. The drawings appear to be a representation of his feelings and hopes for the relationship that may mature between him and the lady. On the last page, the young man writes a message asking if the lady would go out with him. The reaction of the lady is one expressing positive emotions and appears as though she has been waiting for this question for a very long time. However, when she verbally asks him if he is asking her out he tells her that he is unable to speak. The short pause in the video before the response illustrates the problem that disabled individuals face when expressing their love. They are often tormented by the fear of the unknown and whether their feelings of love will be accepted or rejected. In fact, the worst part is wondering if the rejection is primarily due to their disability. However, in the video there is an illustration that true love is unconditional and when someone has true feelings they will accept a person for who he or she is; hence, the lady agrees to date the young man. There are also other factors that we can learn in the video regarding the interaction between people with a disability and those without. Firstly, the video illustrates how an ordinary event such as asking someone out may be very emotionally challenging and demanding. Individuals with a disability like the young man in the video often feel they are not competent or simply do not have the self-confidence to pursue their love interests. The young man in the video took several weeks before he could speak the lady regardless of the fact that they saw each other every day. In addition, there were some indications that the young lady was interested in him as some times in the video they made eye contact. In addition, she would always sit on the same seat across him, which is also a suggestion she may also be interested in him. However, it was still difficult for him to make an approach. The anxiety that people with a disability face in such situations is understandable as they are very vulnerable. If we take the example of the video Silent love again, we see that the young man has pure and strong feelings for the lady. In addition, after their first interaction when he shows her his notepad, there is a clear indication that she also likes him. Hence, in the situation whereby she would refuse to go out with him after finding out he is dumb, the young man’s heart and self-acceptance would be crushed. This is due to the fact that his disability is something he cannot change such as his race for example. Hence, people with difficulty have problems with self-acceptance they are often rejected for their natural state. Another reason why people with disabilities have problems with finding love is that there is a social stigma which stereotypes them as “disabled”. Hence, this creates the impression that they are deficient and incomparable to able individual. The terminology creates a feeling of them and us with the community. In addition, even when a disabled and able person decide to be together, there are likely to face different forms of antagonism from their families and friends. In addition, the community will also create an environment that is not suitable for them as they will be subject to judgment in almost every place they go. Hence, this illustrates the depth of the problem for individuals with disabilities as they must overcome both social and personal obstacles to just engage in their relationship. In addition, relationships also have some problems and there are also challenges on whether these couples will be able to stay together regardless of their physical differences. Even when the individuals accept each other for who they are, someone with a disability may carry a guilty conscience and blame him or herself for the problems in the relationship and the judgment from the outside world. In essence, the problem is not just in finding love, but in sustaining it for a long period of time. Love and acceptance is something each individual desires. People with disability frequently have problem with love and acceptance for many reasons. Firstly, it may be due to the fact that they are different. Psychologically being different can make self-acceptance difficult as one might feel that he or she is not normal. However, there is the need to state that there is no normal in the world and people are different. Having a disability does not make someone abnormal, it only makes them different, and there is nothing wrong with being different. Another reason why people with disability may have this problem is that they are incapable of expressing themselves or their emotions to those people they may love (Ladau, n.d). Hence, they often lose the opportunity to find out whether the person has the same feelings towards them. Society as a whole should contribute to helping the disabled by treating them equality and like every other person so that they do not feel out of place (Ladau, n.d). References Codcast. (2014). Silent Love. YouTube Ladau, E. (n.d). Learning to love in any state of being. Center for Disability Rights “Love, Dating, Relationships ad Disability”. (n.d). Easterseals Read More