For persons who wish to assign qualities of heroism to those of us who have to live with readily discernible disabilities, I would suggest caution. That "normal" people are fascinated by different handicaps is evidenced by the way the media latched onto the disabled a few years ago. For a while there being crippled almost became chic. The poorer films depicted characters who heroically salvaged happiness from pathetic despair. The better movies, such as "Coming Home" and "The Other Side of the Mountains," showed that courage does not really enter into the picture. The lack of alternatives takes the heroism out of it. Growth may be painful, but stagnation is more so. Being disabled, like being normal is process, not a stasis for which one easy approach or formula can be developed. This is optimistic idea, not a pessimistic one. It means an anticipation and enthusiasm for the future can still be present. Time will not be denied, but it need not only be faced and endured.

有人希望把英雄主义色彩赋予我们中间那些不得不忍受明显残疾的人，而我倒要建议在这个问题上持慎重态度。“健全的”人往往对各种残疾着迷，这从几年前媒体饶有兴趣地报道残疾人的方式便可见端倪。曾几何时，残疾差点与“时尚别致”画上了等号。较为平庸的影片讲述那些英雄般地战胜令人心酸的绝望而重获幸福的人物。精彩一点的影片，如《回家》和《山的那一边》，则告诉我们其实并不存在“勇气”一说，“别无选择”使英雄气概难见踪影。兴许成长是痛苦的，但停滞不前则更令人痛苦。一如健全，残疾也是过程，而不是有捷径可寻或有定式可依的静止状态。这反倒是乐观的而不是悲观的理念，因为这意味着我们依然可以对未来抱有期待、充满热情。我们无法拒时间于门外，但我们也不必只是面对和承受时间。