it’s crazy… 2:30 am. I was watching the ‘Sound and Fury’ and some other videos, thinking of ways to present American Sign Language and Deaf Culture to society. Well, watching the movie is not the reason why I am typing at this time of the night.

Technology. Culture. Genetic manipulation. Human social structure. Biology. Sense of change coming.

I always believed and mentioned a few times: the more the humans strive for perfection, chaos reign. Humans are not designed for perfection, it goes against the very fiber of being human.  This comes from study of humanity, whether through books or in reality.

A brief (if possible) Beyond the Ear Myth: Cochlear implants are not miracles nor are they cures. CI does not define a person. It is just a tool. A resource. What is all options available at any opportunity to a child with CI when sign language is denied on the mistaken belief that sign language will inhibit speech and literacy growth? All options include sign language and spoken language, but does it stop there? Think about it. About 20% of the cochlear implant users are successful with the CI, so what happens to the rest? If hearing babies can learn sign language, but deaf babies (even with CI) cannot, is that not an irony? Amy Cohen Efron developed a video called “The Greatest Irony”. You can go to her blog and ask to see the video, which is currently private. (information on right panel, under ‘blogroll’)

Genetic manipulation is something one needs to fear and understand. A question to chew on: if a family discovers that their unborn baby has a gene for Ushers’ Syndrome and decides to go for genetic manipulation, does it stop there?  If a deaf couple finds that their child will be hearing and want to change the gene to have the child born deaf, of course they are denied that opportunity because they are …. “deaf”, not because they are humans. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pros-and-cons-of-designer-babies.html

it is within the very nature of humans to integrate with those who have most in common with. You could have an entire population of white people and find various smaller communities within that population on basis of shared interests, values and mores. Those include but not limited to: language and religion. Europe is an excellent example of this juxtaposition of cultures and languages.

I remember watching a movie called “The End”. I have added a link at the end and it is signed in British Sign Language, captioned, set in Britain. It is a bit disturbing; however, at the end of the movie, I ignored the main character and looked at the whole setting, one of many possible futures. That was the scariest moment of the entire film to realize that one little itty bitty change targeted towards a human subculture can resonate throughout humanity. http://www.bslbt.co.uk/zoom/films/zoom_focus_2011/the_end/  We are not gods.

it is kind of like killing a keystone species and the entire ecosystem will crash.

I keep getting food for thoughts every time I read a book or article related to the human subcultures such as Deaf or Native Indians. I stop and step back and look at reality. The egocentric subculture behaves just like any of the subcultures, just that they impose their authority to hide those imperfections, to deny their existence on the same level as other subcultures.

change is coming. some attribute it to the Mayan Calendar, the Second Coming, or the alignment of the sun with the galactic core whichever fits each philosophy or story each person prefers. For me, it brings several senses to the front: foreboding, scary, positive, spiritual growth, understanding and acceptance. It is difficult to remain optimistic for the future with so much frustration, apathy and intentional dogma. We borrow the world from our children, my children are my husband’s and my legacy as I am with my siblings my parents’ legacy.

i can feel it in my bones, my heart, my cognitive mind and my soul… change is coming. Questions I ask myself, am I ready to meet that change? What am I doing that can foster the change to be positive? What am I learning or teaching that will be incorporated into that change? Are we as humans prepared for the lessons that are to come?