A nation of the disabled

The Land of the Disabled

One day, I had a dream after reading "Pickled Vegetable Superman XII - Pickled Vegetable and Witch." In my dream, I arrived at an island, a land inhabited by disabled people. It was said that on one of God's mistaken days, most of the people here were disabled, and healthy individuals were extremely rare. In this place, social status wasn't determined by occupation or wealth but by the state of physical health and bodily integrity.

When visitors first came here, a person with one leg longer than the other would serve a cup of clear tea. Due to the significant difference in leg length, he walked as if hopping into pits, bouncing severely. Therefore, balancing a cup of tea without spilling it, something easy for a healthy person, required great effort from him. Thus, when he placed a fragrant tea with floating petals steadily in front of us, I was deeply moved and sincerely thanked him for his work, even though he had merely served me a cup of tea.

As soon as he left, a girl with only one leg danced for us. Then, a man with only one hand came to peel apples for us. Despite his arm ending abruptly at the wrist like a stick, his arm seemed magnetized, cooperating with the other hand to peel the apple and pass it over. Suppose my male companion wanted to smoke; a blind person came over and lit his cigarette. After the host-guest pleasantries, we began to talk. Surprisingly, the elder sitting in the main seat, who had been smiling and nodding, indicating for us to drink tea and eat fruit, turned out to be mute. A blind person beside him spoke on his behalf.

Our hosts told us that there was no quarreling or crime here, and people were very gentle. There were no fights, unlike the disputes, brawls, and arguments we commonly see on the streets. Quarrels and commotions here were considered shameful because some could speak while others couldn't—how could they argue? Some had two legs, some one, and others were in wheelchairs—how could they fight? More importantly, they understood better than us that God gave us a mouth to communicate, not to argue; hands to work and help ourselves and others, not to steal or point fingers; legs to walk, not to chase or do evil; a spine to stand tall, not to bend for fame and profit; intelligence to live better, not to scheme and struggle against each other; and health to live well, not to exploit others after being well-fed and contented.

In short, everything created by God or nature 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 by digging into its skin (cutting down trees, building houses on farmland), severing its bones (developing various mines, including coal and minerals), 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 torment it until destruction.

Waking up from the dream and looking around at the world around me, I broke out in a cold sweat.