«If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness» (Isaiah 58:10).
In Spain, there is a program of eight episodes entitled “A Better World.” People appear in it each day who value the gift of life, and it shows that disabilities are one more example of diversity, not a problem.
They told the story there of Daniel Alvarez, a deaf and blind man, who communicates by a system of tactile signs that he receives in his hand. He is married, has a daughter, and works. All despite his “impediment.” A touch is enough to keep you from feeling isolated from the world. Stories like this are very motivating, make us put things in perspective, and make us more grateful, more respectful, and tolerant.
However, surely you often believe in your daily life that things are much more terrible than they really are, or you are used to living with people who have this as a default attitude, people who are very difficult to deal with.
In his book Nada es tan terrible [Nothing is so terrible], Rafal Santandreu said that these people are really an opportunity we are given to acquire more strength. When people see everything from a «terrifying» platform, they are exaggerating because they see things the wrong way. The way we can help those people is by treating them with compassion and love. We can use humor, love, go along with them a little, or leave them alone for a while. Sometimes we expect that people know how to do everything, or we demand an instant change; we doubt their good intentions, or simply do not correctly convey positive ideas or possible solutions.
For this, the author proposes the use of the 3 Ps: persuasion, pedagogy, and perseverance. Through persuasion, we can use good, constructive ideas, express them with joy, and not propose them as an imposition. From pedagogy, we assume that neither the other knows everything, and nor do I. The crisis can be a time of learning and growth. Perseverance is necessary because it is through patience and resolve that the greatest good is achieved.
We all have dealings with difficult people. Perhaps we are the difficult ones and recognize it, but just as it happens to Daniel, for whom «nothing is so terrible,» we can adopt a positive attitude and, why not? be that loving contact that allows the other to know that he or she is not isolated from the world today.