As a kind of field trip, my boss took my students and I out to a school for children with special needs. We got to see the school and meet a handful of the students.
The students in the photo above are my school's students.
Many of the students we met were either deaf or blind. When out in public in China, you rarely see disabled people on the streets. Unless they are a beggar, the majority of disabled children are kept indoors or in secluded areas because a lot of parents are ashamed of them unfortunately.
However, when speaking to them in Chinese and simple English, I was pleased to see many of them smiling. Life is definitely not easy for them and I am happy to see that there are teachers in this country that try to take care of them and give them a chance.
The girls at the front are both blind and held a sheet of paper with braille on it which i can only guess are their notes for the speech they made.
I wish these kids nothing but the best. Life is a cruel experience for so many people but there are a few that triumph. I wish I could say that humans have free will but it is highly unlikely. All of us are just trying to make the best decisions we can based on our circumstances. For some of us, it leads to success and for others it leads to more misery.
Keep that in mind when you see someone that looks unhappy, angry, resentful, etc. If you were in their situation, you would feel the exact same way. Any diversion from that is withdrawing yourself from actually being them.
Take care everyone.