The good ones go into the pot, the bad ones go into your crop?
Karthik, a 2012 kanthari graduate, sent me an article this morning titled: “People with Down syndrome could be left to die of Corona virus to ‘save’ medical supplies”. The article, published in Metro reads: “New guidance published by Alabama officials says that ‘persons with severe mental retardation, advanced dementia or severe traumatic brain injury may be poor candidates for ventilator support.”
The question arises, are we at this point again? You can hear it louder and louder, “over 80-year-olds aren’t worth saving anymore, why bother… and people with intellectual disabilities do not make a significant contribution to the common good.” In crises like this, it seems that long-buried thought patterns can be made popular again. The utilitarian principle helps the authors of the new guidelines: whatever promotes collective happiness is justified.
As long as those who are selected are far away, as long as one does not know anyone who is affected personally, as long as it does not concern a father, a mother, as long as it is not the disabled brother who is not to be treated because of space reasons, one can push this discussion far away in times of Corona.
Karthik, the founder of Sristi Village, a self-sustainable community where mentally disabled and non-disabled live, learn and work together, is enraged. He fights for a society where everyone counts. He fights for integration, for solidarity and with his organisation Sristi Village he demonstrates social equality and justice. “Such an article scares and divides society into valuable and worthless life.” Karthik’s commune is closed for visitors during the 21-day lockdown, but all residents work together to survive. Disabled and non-disabled people use the cooler morning hours of the day in the vegetable garden, they take care of the agro-forest with nut and fruit trees, they take care of the cows and the chicken farm. Karthik explains, “Everyone, disabled or not, is indispensable. They all have their individual tasks and responsibilities. If the solar systems are not cleaned regularly, there is no electricity. If the cows are not fed or milked in time, there is noise! We are not yet completely independent, but we cook our own vegetables, we have home grown rice, and we produce bio-gas.” “And what do you need from the outside?” I ask. His answer: “Medicines for the ones who have epilepsy. But these are delivered by a doctor.”