In response to my post on Aidan Mack's new film,I Sign and I Live, ASL Risen asked me: How can we cure the Deaf community virtue??? Can you tell me that? Thanks.
Let us define Virtue:
Main Entry: vir·tue
Pronunciation: \ˈvər-(ˌ)chü\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English vertu, virtu, from Anglo-French, from Latin virtut-, virtus strength, manliness, virtue, from vir man — more at virile
Date: 13th century
1 a: conformity to a standard of right : morality b: a particular moral excellence
2plural : an order of angels — see celestial hierarchy
3: a beneficial quality or power of a thing
4: manly strength or courage : valor
5: a commendable quality or trait : merit
6: a capacity to act : potency
7: chastity especially in a woman
Obviously, we may immediately throw out number 7.
And...number 2.
This leaves us with morality, valor, merit and potency. Each individual possesses certain virtues based on their life experiences. But the main source behind those virtues lies in the integrity of an individual, a combination of brain, soul and heart.
The Deaf Community has many virtues and a great deal of passion. However, there is a great deal of fear and uncertaintly as to its future. See the recent posts on Deaf School closings and budget cuts.
I prefer to speak of integrity.
Integrity defines the perceived consistency of actions, values, methods, measures and principles. A value system's abstraction depth and range of applicable interaction are also significant factors in determining integrity due to their congruence with empirical observation. A value system may evolve over time while retaining integrity if those who espouse the values account for and resolve inconsistencies.
Integrity may be seen as the quality of having a sense of honesty and truthfulness in regard to the motivations for one's actions. The term hypocrisy is used in contrast to integrity for asserting that one part of a value system is demonstrably at odds with another, and to demand that the parties holding apparently conflicting values account for the discrepancy or change their beliefs to improve internal consistency.
How you live your Deafness is your personal choice. How my son began living his deafness was my choice, however he still has the possibility to make his own choices as he grows. We went to the newsstand the other day, every Thursday he goes to get a Mickey Mouse comic, however yesterday he stepped up to the counter and asked for a copy of the local newspaper The Tirreno. I swear I almost passed out on the spot. I said, "Jordan, you do realize that you just asked for a newspaper, don't you?"
He looked at me, straightened his shoulders and said, "Yeah, I want to know what's happening in the world." I paid. (I've been laughing ever since)
Everyday we make choices. Above all, we choose HOW we want to live our lives.
Virtues are fundamental in living a quality life and in developing, appreciating and giving value to a sense of community.
I don't feel that the Deaf Community Virtue needs to be "cured" (just like I don't feel like I've attempted to "fix" my son's deafness), because the community is based on integrity. Based on what I've read and how posts have evolved with regard to the acceptance of cochlear implants as a valid approach to deafness, I think the Deaf community is in this phase: A value system may evolve over time while retaining integrity if those who espouse the values account for and resolve inconsistencies...
