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Happiness (Štěstí)
Překlad: Renata Vail Sensitivity of a Colorful Sun - Preface (předmluva) Sensitivity of a Colorful Sun, written by my son Jirka, leads me to a deeper reflection on the often-repeated statement that individuals with Down syndrome remain forever children. The title of the book evoked the first suspicious thoughts in me. His choice to write about human character convinced me that Jirka has become an adult young man with independent hinking. I admit that I read his first story with great anticipation. It is very difficult to write about abstract topics. I was grateful to Jirka that his first story was about happiness. All parents find happiness of their children to be of utmost importance. His second story, Unhappiness, took me by surprise, though. It is beautiful but why is it longer than the first? Why does Jirka write about unhappiness with such pain and in such detail? Our son fears greatly loneliness. He also fears bad human qualities. But he cannot be alone in experiencing such fears; other people with disabilities must experience them, too. But many are not able to express their feelings effectively. And we, the ‘wise’ adults, are unable to read in their eyes, we discount their gestures and smiles, we cannot wait and in the rush we fail to give them space for their own expression. We are skeptical about their efforts at independent thinking and we react with indignation to their aggressiveness. And yet so little is necessary; to learn how to understand their hearts, to discover in them that which makes them unique and help them develop that uniqueness with love and understanding, according to our own abilities. In Sensitivity of a Colorful Sun, Jirka managed to combine with great sensitivity his verbal and nonverbal expression. He looked at human character from artistic and literary viewpoints. I believe that his insights will enrich him, me and all readers. I believe that his stories will lead us to think about ourselves. March 28, 2001
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