ALL EYES ARE ON DR THORNTON
When I came across the headline ‘Man with a vision’ on page 34 ,Iwas immediately uncomfortable. Call it my disdain for clichés, but it was more to do with the fact that the man in question is legally blind. Are we being overly patronising by glorifying his big and small achievements; is it politically correct to be associating an adjective such as vision with someone who is visually impaired; are we validating the very stereotype that Dr Brian Thornton, the man in question, has spent a lifetime fighting?
What also happened in the process is that it made me wonder about our – the able ones’ – default reactions to people with determination. Despite the fact that there are many more people of determination in mainstream life, we the able ones still continue to stop in our steps, look away or seem sheepish and hesitant when we come across one of ‘them’ all of a sudden. After the initial taken-by-surprise reaction, we tend to scramble around to ensure the person of determination is comfortable, at least on our watch. Is that reaction natural, I wonder. Would we react in a similar fashion if the person was not physically challenged? Is that a stereotypical reaction, I continue to wonder.
And for those reasons I have tremendous
Our default reaction is to stop in our steps, look away or seem sheepish and hesitant when we come across a person of determination
respect for Dr Thornton. For here’s a man who continues to realise his dreams, pursue his passions and above all, is a great husband and dad to his family despite the physical challenges he is faced with. The man fights stereotypes with his actions, not rhetoric.
Now that’s who I call a man of determination.