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| (WSJ drawing) |
Mr. Vanier was asked what could be contributed by those unable to devote themselves full time to serving others. “Try and find somebody who is lonely,” he said. “And when you go to see them, they will see you as the messiah. Go and visit a little old lady who has no friends or family. Bring her flowers. People say, ‘But that’s nothing.’ It is nothing—but it’s also everything.”Appalled by conditions in a French mental asylum, Jean Vanier invited two inmates to live with him in 1964. His house became the first L'Arche (inspired by Noah's Ark), and the charity "has spread to more than 150 communities in 38 countries, providing homes for about 5,000 people."
Those suffering from mental illness or mental disability require attention for hours every day over a long period of time. Solutions are not easily "scalable", and treating everyone who needs help is frankly impossible. Another quote:
The great thing about people with intellectual disabilities is that they’re not people who discuss philosophy. What they want is fun and laughter, to do things together and fool around, and laughter is at the heart of community....What I’m trying to live and trying to say is that people with disabilities are important—in themselves but also they have a message to give to humanity.Once in a while we chance upon a profile, a biography, or obituary that gives us hope for humanity. R.I.P.
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