Interconnectedness
By
Paul Mansell
I love ideas and theory. Coming across a new idea makes my day. Sharing an idea with others is icing on the cake. One idea that has captured my imagination and my passion is interconnectedness. It holds that all people are connected with one another. It is through this interconnectedness that we achieve our greatest strength, worth, and dignity. Interconnectedness embraces the diversity of each and every unique individual—their ethnicity, religion, place of origin, work and income, gender and orientation, ability, political affiliation, and language. This variety adds and enriches the human experience and is cause for celebration. People are happiest when they have meaningful bonds with others and the greater human family.
Self-advocacy takes on a new and richer meaning with interconnectedness. Self-advocacy moves beyond advancing individual self-interest and to connecting and bonding with our families and friends, support providers, health care providers and our community. This is why integration, employment first, affordable housing, transportation, and inclusion are so very important. We all have something to contribute and give to our community through our education, work, health, volunteering and relationships. Society is enriched with our contributions.
Communication becomes more than saying a few words, it becomes a means of connecting with others and being part of the human family. In this tapestry, loyalty, trust, love, honor, harmony, integrity, friendship, family, work, and community becomes expressions of our greater humanity. These connections are reasons for joy and celebration and give purpose and direction to life.
Interconnectedness needs to be continually worked at. Our individual quirks, and the stresses and strains of daily life can lead to a breakdown of connectedness. People may think in terms of us versus them and try to exclude others. This is a loss to all parties concerned and leads to anger and fear, resentment, hatred, power and control games, and prejudice. None of these are things we want in a positive and healthy community.
I love the saying “A mind is a terrible thing to waste. “ I would like to add that life is a tragic thing to discard or minimize. People are not trash but jewels. Life is the quest for the optimal. Simply put we need the gifts, insights, and experiences of all people for our community to reach its full potential. Imagine the possibilities. It is far easier than some would say and we are far closer to it than some would think.
There once was a time, when people with disabilities were excluded from the mainstream of community and warehoused in state hospitals in the name of protecting “them” from a harsh reality. Through much compassion and a sense of justice, people with disabilities have increasing been freed and integrated into the greater community. Tremendous progress has been made in this regard and tremendous work remains in front of us for people with disabilities to be fully connected with the greater community. I like the sayings “There is no I in team, and it is not about me.”
Together in interconnectedness, we can change the world. The future waits for us. The time will come when we will say “are we connected yet?’ I would like to close with a poem by Mayer Shevin.
Language of Us/Them
by Mayer Shevin
We like things
They fixate on objects
We try to make friends
They display attention seeking behavior
We take breaks
They display off task behavior
We stand up for ourselves
They are non-compliant
We have hobbies
They self-stim
We choose our friends wisely
They display poor peer socialization
We persevere
They perseverate
We like people
They have dependencies on people
We go for a walk
They run away
We insist
They tantrum
We change our minds
They are disoriented and have short
attention spans
We have talents
They have splinter skills
We are human
They are . . . ?