School CIP

My eldest son spent the third day of the CNY at a school for the disabled as part of a Community Involvement Program (CIP). He came back very quiet. When he was quiet, the whole house noticed because since young, he was like a broken-down radio – talking non-stop. Since secondary school, he has toned down considerably. But we all felt uneasy when he suddenly became so silent.
I thought I would wait for a little longer to let him internalized his feelings. He had probably seen something we ourselves could not bear to see. When I finally spoke to him in the evening, he said, “Today, we interacted with a group of teenagers who are 2 to 3 years older than we are. But due to their disabilities, they behaved very childishly with behavior one would associate with lower primary students …”
Then he paused for a while and continued, “But from their perspectives, looking at us with ‘perfect’ functioning brains, we were like gods to them!”
I knew why he felt burdened. Spiderman said so, “With greater power, comes greater responsibilities.” Therefore, much is given, much is expected.