Be CAREful what you wish for
Hi Readers,
I’m writing this in response to an article that
I read on the website 6 years ago called “Chloe Jennings-White reveals she wants surgery so
she can be permanently disabled”.
When I first read this, it was mind-boggling and
it made my head spin for so many different reasons.
On the one side, you could say; What on earth is this woman
thinking?! Shouldn’t she be counting her life’s blessings and appreciating it
all?! It wouldn’t cross the
minds of most people to “fantasise” about disability; let alone strive towards
having one.
Yet, this particular condition does in fact exist
and is known as BIID (Body Integrity Identity Disorder). This psychological
condition entails sufferers actively seeking elective body limb amputation in
order to mirror their perceived “bodily whole” – the feeling could be likened
to an individual born with six toes who firmly believes they should have five.
We all have our own “self-comparison” issues
that we sometimes struggle with to the point they sometimes almost plague us
but it is when we let them run our lives that they sometimes may turn into
“addictive behaviours” and it is for this reason that I believe people with
Chloe’s condition need thorough psychiatric oversight. If they were to literally go ahead with this, then they
would need to be fully prepared…and I mean fully
prepared for what’s in store
for them. Generally, there are two known facts of life; the cycle of life and
death, and the ‘unpredictable’ nature of life. As life is unpredictable humans
have an innate sense of sympathy for those whom become victims of circumstance,
but in this instance chance is being taken out of the equation which may lead
people to see this as a selfish act and/or cry for attention especially because
they don’t seem to take into account the impact that it will have on their
lives and/or the lives of those around them.
With all that being said, where should we draw the
line between the experimentation of an “outsider looking in” and actively
working towards having a disability, especially considering the financial and
emotional burden for all those involved?
I conclusively believe and feel that having my
disability and living with it has helped me to appreciate and further
understand that there is power in the knowledge that I am not invincible and
neither is anybody else. I fully and wholeheartedly respect this without
complaining about it or judging it, and although I, myself still sometimes have
issues regarding self-comparison, I’ve gradually now reached a point where I’m
able to consciously “choose” what role I wish for them to play throughout my own
life.
I would appreciate your feedback on whether or not
you’ve heard of anyone else with this condition.
You’re welcome to read the actual story on the
link below and formulate your own opinions on it: https://pop.inquirer.net/46307/disabled-on-purpose-transabled-chloe-jennings-white .
