When you do something, do it with all your heart, no matter what others say.
I would like to share with you an experience that happened many years ago.
My partner and I were visiting acquaintances of his whom I had not met before. Beforehand, it was important for him to let me know that the 5-year-old son of the family was totally retarded. He would not get anything together, hardly speak, understand nothing, was totally unfocused and at the same time incredibly shy and surely he will fail in school.
"Wow", I said, "that's a very damning verdict". When we arrived at said family's house, I immediately saw the little boy standing in the corner. I liked him immediately and smiled at him without saying anything. Even before I could greet my partner's acquaintances, the little boy took my hand and pulled me into his room. Leaving behind me the astonished looks of those present, I entered his room. I noticed that the little boy was looking at me curiously. I just decided to wait and said nothing. Then I noticed countless small constructions, made of all kinds of materials, scattered all over his room. I asked the boy if I could look at them and touch them. I took his nodding in the affirmative as an opportunity to gently stroke the works with my hand. Perceiving my deep "inexplicable" touch, the boy suddenly began to tell. Not what each piece represented, but what his relationship was to these things. "I made this tree so that I would have something to hold on to, this house so that I would have something to retreat to, this tower so that I could see everything from above," etc. He told in a flawless, very chosen language. His eyes were shining with enthusiasm and I was so deeply touched that I did not even notice the sobbing of the mother behind me....
The story is not over yet. I'll be happy to tell you next week how it went on and especially what happened to the boy.
Part of the story is the 5-year-old boy. Misjudged, condemned as a retarded child, who is already diagnosed with school failure. I came to his room, where I found many small works of art made of all kinds of materials. And he explained to me with heartfelt passion his relationship to each piece. The otherwise so wordless boy and his eyes shining with enthusiasm touched me so deeply that I took him by the shoulder, looked him emphatically in the eyes and said: "Now listen to me very carefully. These figures here are real works of art. But I am even more deeply touched by the way you speak of them. You have inherited a wonderful talent. If you continue to do exactly that, you will bring joy to many people. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise". I don't know how much the boy understood about that. But I became his mentor for many years. And today he is a professional man full of life. He works in a metal workshop and accompanies people who don't have it so easy in our society to a better life. And he is incredibly successful at it. It is so true: "When you do something, do it with all your heart, no matter what others say!" And, "No one, but no one at all, has the right to judge you!"
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