My Introduction for a Better World

It's interesting-I have my own blog and I normally use it for complaining about my life; it never occurred to me that a blog like this one could be used to debate foreign and national policy. Then again, I don't get around much in order to know why others are blogging in the first place. Sure I attend my meetings and help to organize marches like a good progressive, but it never occurred to me to try to share any views that someone would take seriously.

Then again, a lot of things don't occur to me. That might be because I really don't get out much. I have a neurological condition known as Reflex Sympathetic dystrophy and while the pain from this disorder (you can learn about that pain at http://www.fighting4us.com/) does keep me in most of the time, a lot of the time it's the idea of going out and dealing with the world that scares me more then the pain of going over road bumps.

It's not that I don't like being around people, far from it. The problem is dealing with people that don't know me, that feel they have to stare at me when I do something they feel is wrong or out of the ordinary. For instance while I can walk well enough, walking long distances is really hard on my body; so for that reason I have a handicap sticker in my car. It isn't because I'm lazy and use my relatives card to get in and out of places quicker.

Then there are the things people do that are in most cases a friendly gesture. If someone feels sorry for me and puts a hand on my shoulder it is actually extremely painful rather then comforting. The idea of shaking some one's hand makes me wonder about how I should handle the situation. Should just deal with the pain, or should I tell the person I can't do it and get an awkward look.

The point of writing this article is not to make you feel bad; but rather to help you open your eyes to the fact that a person who doesn't shake your hand or uses a handicap sticker when they can walk isn't necessarily being rude, and might actually be saving you from an embarrassing situation.

I'd like to think that by sharing this story I'll be able to get out more, or at least get less stares when I do get. Maybe by this time next year I'll be up to date on the way the world works. But till that happens I'll keep trying to keep up with society, and try to remember that a blog can be used for more then just complaining.