I thought this story and video would be enlightening for those who have an interest in how we, and others, respond to/communicate with existence.
The video opens with a woman facing away from the camera, rocking back and forth, flapping her hands awkwardly, and emitting an eerie hum. She then performs strange repetitive behaviours: slapping a piece of paper against a window, running a hand lengthwise over a computer keyboard, twisting the knob of a drawer. She bats a necklace with her hand and nuzzles her face against the pages of a book.
Then “A Translation” appear on a black screen, and for the next five minutes, 27-year-old Amanda Baggs — who is autistic and doesn’t speak — describes in vivid and articulate terms what’s going on inside her head as she carries out these seemingly bizarre actions. In a synthesized voice generated by a software application, she explains that touching, tasting, and smelling allow her to have a “constant conversation” with her surroundings. These forms of non-verbal stimuli constitute her “native language,” Baggs explains, and are no better or worse than spoken language. Yet her failure to speak is seen as a deficit, she says, while other people’s failure to learn her language is seen as natural and acceptable.
Thanks to Wired for the article, and to the kind chap who passed on the link.
He was quite a bit older than me. Six years. About that. At twenty he was told to give his money away. So he did. In the high street of our small town. He was hearing voices. What they told him to do he took literally. The doctors took the voices literally. 1960’s solutions were as they were. E.C.T – drugs – confinement. That became the story of his life. In and out, up and down, mostly unemployed. Raised a fine family.
Young and idealistic.
A phone call.
She tried to tell. To explain.
Stood in a red public phone box.
Shocked. Deeply touched.
Vowed to find a solution.
Hearing Voices.
It’s not uncommon for youngsters to make a silent promise. A response to a crisis. Sometimes the direction that takes is good, sometimes not so good. Glad to say my young vow matured and went towards the good. Found a so called solution within.
Glad to find that hearing voices is approached, by some, in a radically different way. Responding to the voices in a different way. A route paved with awareness, compassion and wise council.
Yes, I’ve done some gardening in the sidebar and removed several entries. It was getting a bit cluttered over there to the left and there are no insignificant weeds. Meaning, in this case, that it’s all too easy to grow links that take away from what’s being pointed to here. We call that the important thing.
Miles who is a regular blog reader and congregation member was here on Sunday for the Festival Ceremony. He reminded me of a comment he’d left in January with links to a three part series of short films. Here is his comment and links to the films.
Hope you are well and are having a good winter retreat.
I stumbled upon these films whilst browsing the net – a short but rather beautifully filmed three part documentary on Sojiji in 1959, just a few years before Rev. Master Jiyu arrived there.
There’s an unusual and probably very much of-its-day shot of all the novice monks sitting around smoking together – and some very impressive ceremonial.
Thanks Miles for the links. And thank you to what ever good fortune and good luck and hard work and patience that has me connected to the internet at Throssel at a brisk 54.0 Mbps.
Hungry rabbit teeth render many trees barkless and, eventually, dead.
We support tree life however sometimes it all gets a bit too much!
Michael (ace photographer) from near Edmonton, Alberta Canada left a comment to this posting. Spring (where is it) and lamantations on the sub-zero temperatures. It must be cold up at Fort McMurry the epicenter of the Athabasca Oil Sands mining operation. Read and weep!
