The Land of the Disabled
One day, I had a dream in which I found myself on an island. It was a land of disabled people. They say it was one of God's mistakes that most of the people here were disabled, with very few healthy individuals. Here, social status wasn't determined by profession or wealth, but by physical health and the degree of bodily integrity.
When visitors first arrived, a person with one leg longer than the other would serve a cup of green tea. Because of the significant difference in the length of his legs, he walked as if hopping into pits, bouncing quite a bit. In winter, the trees swayed, so to serve a cup of tea without spilling it, something that a healthy person could easily do, required great effort from him. Therefore, when he placed a fragrant cup of tea with floating petals neatly in front of us, I was deeply moved and sincerely thanked him for his work, even though he had only served me a cup of tea.
He had just stepped back when a girl with one leg danced for us. Then, a man with only one hand came over to peel an apple for us. Although his arm ended abruptly at the wrist like a stick, his arm seemed to have magnetism, coordinating with the other hand to peel the apple and pass it to us. One of the male colleagues who came with me wanted to smoke, and a blind person came over to light his cigarette. After the host and guests exchanged pleasantries, we began to talk. To our surprise, the elder sitting in the main seat, who had been smiling all along and nodding while inviting us to drink tea and eat fruit, was mute. A blind person beside him spoke on his behalf.
Our hosts told us that there was no quarreling or crime here. People were gentle and didn't fight. The disputes, brawls, and arguments we commonly see on the streets simply did not exist here. Quarreling and playing around here was considered a shameful act because some people could speak while others couldn't, so how could they argue? Some had two legs, some had one leg, and others were in wheelchairs - so how could they fight?
More importantly, they understood better than us that God gave us a mouth to communicate, not to quarrel; hands to work and help ourselves and others, not to steal or point fingers; legs to walk, not to chase and do evil; a spine to stand upright and be good people, not to bend it for fame and profit; intelligence to live better lives, not to scheme and struggle against heaven, earth, and each other; and health to live well, not to invade others after being fed and watered.
In short, everything that God or nature created for us has its purpose, yet humanity has misused it all. Originally, God created humans because the Earth was lonely. However, humans have made the Earth unbearable, digging into its skin (cutting down forests, destroying fields to build houses), cutting its tendons and bones (developing various minerals, including coal and ores), draining its blood (extracting oil, over-pumping groundwater), suffocating its breath (mining natural gas and coal gas), blinding its vision (air pollution), and stifling its respiration (destroying vegetation, forests, and grasslands). As long as the Earth still breathes, humans will continue to wreak havoc until complete destruction.
I woke up from the dream, looked at the world around me, and broke out in a cold sweat.