Inspiration from President Clinton

There is no happiness where there is no wisdom;
No wisdom but in submission to the gods.
Big words are always punished,
And proud men in old age learn to be wise.
--Sophocles (Antigone, closing lines)

I went to see former President Bill Clinton speak at the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies event last night. Clinton's long fingers typically rolled into that gestural fist with the thumb pointing out instead of his index finger to make a point. He is softer now, perhaps weakened by his surgery, a Dalai Lama of politics, if there can ever be one -- I think of Ghandi when I write this. He is soft and gracious when he speaks, his head often down thinking of every word. He is the epitome of a life-well-lived in my view -- of mistakes, of experience, of knowledge and smarts, boiling down to his essence...gracious and wise. I think he is a brilliant man.

You can see I had front row seats (ha!). In fact, the event was sold out and we got these seats at the last moment:


Here is my not so great photo of Clinton. 

I couldn't have cared less. Just being in the same room with him was a thrilling honour. President Clinton spoke about how interconnected our world is becoming, but in that interconnectedness, we have more discord than ever before. Perhaps we get too close to one another, in all our differences, and then we have to deal with it instead of building the walls that formerly kept us apart. This is the price of interconnectedness: from Palestine's new government Hamas to Israel's front door, from people with varied religions living together, to neurodiverse and disabled people living with abled ones, we've got difference smack dab in our face. We live in an incredibly priviledged economy and we have to deal with and be responsible to those living on less than two dollars a day. We have to be cognizant of what we are doing to our environment and become more responsible about that. In a priviledged society, we ought to think less of ourselves and what we can do for others.


This one is for Camille who wanted to see my suit. 

There is no difference in my mind between these issues and those of human rights for the disabled. Across the board, there is predjudice and fanaticism that endangers all of us. He noted that those areas that support America today are Ache Province where the Tsunami hit, and Gujarat, India where the earthquake struck because Canadians, Americans helped people -- "people helping people," as he put it. Once we cross bridges and meet each other, it is always incredible how we are alike. Respecting differences -- from race, religion, culture, and ability can only enrich us all. Building walls can only lead to fear and hate.

If we truly live in a democratic society, then we have to continue to speak out against organizations that are seeking to do that which is against the wishes of the autistic community. We have to keep talking and talking, and wait for the gap when someone might just be listening -- or else we will never be heard. This is the inspiration I glean from a great President.