“Transformation is a process, and as life happens there are tons of ups and downs. It’s a journey of discovery – there are moments on mountaintops and moments in deep valleys of despair.” Rick Warren
Today is the day of my birthday, and it turned into a 60th year. Wow!
Some days are exemplary, and others are bad or worse throughout my life journey.
This year, the world has gone mad, for example, wars, poverties, financial recession, job losses, climate change, natural environmental disasters and many other issues. The worst of all are the disabled people struggling to live somewhere, facing the hardship of financial costs such as food, petrol, power, and gaining minimal benefit incomes; of course, the disability funding cut for their support persons and carers and unable/may be able to acquire special equipment for their disabled child, themselves around home and outing in New Zealand. A few disabled people manage to pay their house mortgages and loans. Still, it isn’t easy because single-household people work jobs to pay for mortgages and loans. Other countries like South America, Africa, Haiti, and the Pacific Islands are facing financial recession, and many people with disabilities face tremendous hardships and poverties. Look at Gaza – they are facing a significant crisis, and the percentage of children and babies becoming disabled due to violent wars is becoming malnutrition – shortage of food aid which does not match the high population of over 5 million.
— Mwai Kibaki
Because of the skills I learned, I left school and took jobs different from those in the Deaf community. Over the years, I went from deaf bank officer to data entry officer to community liaison to advocate/historian/researcher. It is about a leadership role where you require skills in the disability sector anywhere in the world. Learn from the people and children with disabilities and their stories to share, as well as their struggles to remove the barriers and unfriendly accessibility in the communities and businesses.
The more substantial skill has been advocating for communities, businesses, the City Council, and the government over many years. Many still have a long way to go to learn about us and our world, so we want to break down the barriers and make it more friendly and accessible globally. Around the world, there are many Disability Act Laws, such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the People with Disabilities, US Disability Acts, and Sign Language Acts. It only arrives to people who know about this or may know little but to ignore it. Whenever I support/assist anyone with a disability/deaf through their struggling barriers, we meet and discuss with businesses, MPs, GPs,/Nurses by making successful goals to remove the barrier and be accessible. However, only very little time was unsuccessful, and we chose to move away and find someone better to offer.
“Three great forces rule the world: stupidity, fear and greed” – Albert Einstein.
Health-wise, yes, there have been changes from time to time. We live with it and take care of it by removing the barriers and accessibility without moving to another house with a garden in the countryside due to our ages. Because the house prices are blinky and bonkers, which does not match everyone’s financial income.
I would love to travel worldwide again, but not now due to the high prices and my health. In the past, I travelled widely around the world from 1981 to 2009, budget-wise, carefully planning and taking time off work, such as two to three months.
Life is more than just money because life’s richness lies in the deep connections we form, our experiences, our personal growth, and our positive impact on the world around us. While money is essential to meeting basic needs, it is not the sole reason and won’t lead to a fulfilling and meaningful life. 6 Aug 2023 https://medium.com/5-minute-sweet-spot/10-reasons-why-life-is-more-than-just-money-e5a762424523#:~:text=Life%20is%20more%20than%20just%20money%20because%20life’s%20richness%20lies,a%20fulfilling%20and%20meaningful%20life.
Technology has changed from landline phones, unsuitable for all Deaf people, to faxes, computers, video chats, emails, and mobile phones. Many disabled people/students use Government Disability funding to obtain a computer, laptop, or mobile phone for job seeking, studying at the University, Interpreting services, and other communication methods. Social media is terrific but has its downsides, such as hackers, scammers, the insufficient cost of repairs work, and being unaffordable for their needs around home and schools. I recalled one day when I was in Switzerland. Preparing to go to the Netherlands, I posted a postcard to my mother to let her know I was still coming home and met her at the Airport. We needed a fax machine here and overseas to communicate at that time. I was not aware of the problem; my mother was talking to my sister about whether I was coming home, and my sister told Mum to go to the Airport and wait there when I came home. I arrived at the Airport in Auckland, and Mum was relieved to see me. I asked her if she got my last postcard from Switzerland, and she said no. Then, two weeks later, the postcard arrived. That is something to learn, such as emails, mobiles, and texts today, and it is a good tool, but the financial cost only matches some.
We are not well off financially here as we have a house mortgage to pay, loans to pay, bills to pay, the high cost of food and petrol, and other types of technology—WIFI has crazy prices and poor reception, even though it is not cheap here. The only things we have are growing vegetables and fruits, our skills around home and garden to do it ourselves before we get too old, and peaceful property away from the city.
“Money isn’t everything since it can’t buy us the essential things in life: health and love. One of the most important things in life is your relationships. Friends and family are the people who will be there for you through thick and thin, and they are worth more than any amount of money. “26 Jul 2023 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/money-everything-give-you-choices-options-so-important-dayal-ram#:~:text=Money%20isn’ t%20everything%20since,in%20life%3A%20health%20and%20love.&text=One%20of%20the%20most%20important,than%20any%20amount%20of%20money.
I learned our late grandparents’ skills and finances, growing vegetables and fruits, carpentry, butchery, recycling, and saving something to replace old, wear-and-tear products/materials again. I taught the young generations to learn from us and how we manage to do things. Today, generations have not learnt anything about our past lives, how we lived in the old days and our living experience with disability. Today’s lives are more or less corrupt; greed destroys other lives in the community, struggles with technology costs, financial costs, difficulty finding a house anywhere, and so on. It is not the same thing in the past.
I am grateful that I have made it this far – a 60th year.
Life in Eureka 