WHAT I LEARNED AT THE CONFERENCE: part 6

For the next couple of days, I'm going to talk about a couple of new and interesting (to me, at least) thoughts and sayings I learned about via the conference.  These thoughts said a lot to me.

First, there was Rick Guidotti, and all his work through Positive Exposure, the FRAMES project, and the Pearls Project.  Rick has a great saying:  Change how we see...and see how we change."

And of course a lot of what his talking about is the concept of "beauty."  I think most in society see beauty as skin deep.  They believe in the kind of beauty that Hollywood and television and fashion sells:  that beauty is about high cheekbones, smooth skin, full hair, a certain kind of lip, certain kinds of muscles, a certain kind of waistline, etc etc.  Few differences are allowed.  Nothing that is seen as un-"normal" can be tolerated.  So of course, if you have Moebius Syndrome, or Albinism (a condition which Rick first saw years ago and helped turn him to his new life) you are not seen as beautiful.  It's assumed that you have no beauty, that such can not be brought out in you, that people would not want to see you.

Rick Guidotti of course knows that such is not true.  And through his photos, and through his films, he shows that all those with physical and facial differences are in fact beautiful; that instead of turning away, you just have to see these folks as they really are and get to know them.  That all we have to do, in fact, to see their beauty is to "change how we see."

But he does not stop there.  And this kind of thinking does not stop there.  Because what we also get at here is that we find that, if we do change what we see, we won't believe the good things it will do...to us.  If we change how we see, then we see that all humans, even if they look different, have beauty; that we should accept all; that all have lives and deserve them; that we shouldn't turn away from anyone, even if they look different.  We will become more accepting.  We will become more tolerant, more open.  We will become better people.  So, if we change how we see...then just see how we change.  And become better.

Really, in trying to raise awareness, that's one of the things that we in the Moebius community have been trying to tell people.  Maybe we just haven't quite known how to say it before.  But this is an excellent way to in fact say it.  Hey, world--change how you see everyone with physical and facial differences.  And then--see how you change.  For the better.  Thanks, Rick.

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