I've recently discovered the existence of a wonderful soul by the name of Jean Vanier, an untiring advocate for the intellectually disabled. He has won the 2015 Templeton Prize for his lifelong work with the intellectually challenged adults. In addition to learning about Jean Vanier, I have learned of the Templeton Prize. This prize seems so much more meaningful than the Nobel Prize which does not include a category for spirituality and spiritual contribution to the betterment and understanding of life. Mother Theresa is another auspicious recipient of this prize. How did I not know of this before?
Vanier "adopted" two intellectually challenged men into his life in the 1960's and from his experience of living with them has found meaning and insight about what living is (or should ) really be about. He is attributed to creating the L'arche (meaning ark, as in Noah's Ark in French) communities for the intellectually challenged adults. The community is a small group home with competent staff, volunteers and assistants that live in the home to be "friends" with the residents. There is transparency with members of the community, a spiritual figure notably a priest is usually present (since this is a Catholic inspired organization) all to ensure that incidents of abuse (which can [and has] happened in larger group home facilities) cannot go unnoticed. According to their primary vision, L'arche doesn't foster relationships based on a patient/healer dynamic, but on true friendships between volunteers, assistants and the diabled individual. Vanier believes these people are capable of responding to love but, in order to love, one must first receive it . This truth speaks for all people, not just the intellectually challenged. His belief is that people with intellectual challenges are not in a quest for knowledge, power or prestige. They just want to be loved and befriended.
In this, he feels much can be learned about the way of being from a challenged person as they can teach a "typical person" the art of living as to be oneself and not feel pressured to compete, acquire more stuff, more knowledge, to prove oneself and their worth and not feel they need to one up another to feel important. He quotes a passage from Isaiah 15 where the weak heals and teaches the strong. In one of his quotes he states, "We have a beautiful vision, a vision to be like yeast in the bread of society, where the weak heal the strong." This seems so idealistic and although there are open-minded people willing to learn from the "lame" most people abhor and shun disability- I think because on some deep level, they are afraid to acknowledge the possibility or the potential for their own selves being disabled. As a result, it produces fear within them which then leads to hatred, abusive behaviors and bullying which are rejections of what they abhor within themselves. Vanier speaks with such hope and faith in humanity and I wonder where he gets this faith when all I see in the evening news is how someone was randomly shot in a drive by, or children were abducted and killed, or domestic violence destroys the whole family's lives. I don't think Vanier watches the evening news very much and I probably shouldn't, either. It is not good for my soul to hear the worst in humanity pointed out to me on a daily basis.
L'arche is an international organization with homes all over the world. I have found one here in Southern California in the city of Orange. I hope more L'arche communities form in Los Angeles county, too.
