Image is Nothing

I was at The Palms Shopping Mall last week with my wife and three teenagers who are currently holidaying with us. The movie we wanted to watch had already started playing before we got there, so we decided to wait for the next schedule. In order to kill time, we all decided to window-shop.


On our way to Shoprite, I saw a woman who held on tightly to her daughter as they both walked with measured pace. Instinctively, I knew the daughter was suffering from the Down Syndrome because her mother struggled to stabilize her as they walked. I looked at them as they walked towards the stairs that led to the Genesis Deluxe Cinema, and couldn’t help pondering.

By all standards, the woman was wealthy and educated; but she ignored all that and proudly showed off her daughter. I appreciate it when parents express love to their children, but it’s more special when the love is not conditional. Many of us would rather show off the beautiful kids and leave the ‘special’ ones behind closed doors. Love is genuine when it looks beyond our deficiencies, and accepts us for who we are. For me, loving you is meaningless if I’m ashamed of your imperfection, because what makes life itself interesting is the fact that we are not perfect.

Unfortunately with many of us, love is conditional and selfish. Our selfish concern for our image overrides our worry for the feelings of others. We would rather lock up our ‘shame’ in the house rather than give them that little sacrifice that will gladden them for life. The world will only become a better place when we worry more about giving out more happiness than we receive.

I love life, and cherish my relationship with people. But more than ever, I appreciate the fact that I don’t segregate people. Who I am hardly matters as much as whose life I impact positively, because when the chips are down, what we live for more is important than what we live on.