Volunteered for a down-syndrome event. In the preparation meeting, I met a pair of parents of down-syndrome kid. They have such positive attitudes towards life.
We went to the apartment of the mom of a down-syndrome boy. She divorced shortly after her boy was born. The boy's father raised him. She had other interest in life. Then one day she suddenly realized her calling, which is to help all down-syndrome people.
She said down-syndrome is good. The purpose of her boy's coming to this world is to allow her to fulfill her destiny. A monk told her that. I didn't know what to say so I kept my mouth shut.
There were another girl with down-syndrome. Her parents offered some insights into how they are like. The father was the most optimistic person I met. I can see he was trully in peace with it. I had the thought that down-syndrome is neither good nor bad.
It happens to some people. How they react to it has sth to do with their personalities. A optimistic person will be optimistic again after the initial shock. I don't know how I would react to it. My wife's favorite question is "would you love our son the same if he were ugly".
I would answer "of course". She didn't believe me. But I think I would be OK, be my son ugly or even disabled. When you lack in some qualities, you often have more in some other qualities. Those down-syndrome kids are sweet.
