Finley Clifton’s Third Place Essay
Finley Clifton
St. Joseph School, Crescent Springs
Is it right to eliminate God’s gift and motive for each individual? God did not just take time to create each human life so beautifully for us to take it away from the world. He did not frame our lives for people to disrespect it. Our lives are in the hands of God, which means he takes care of us and watches over us. As sons and daughters of God, we are meant to take the path that he developed for us. He shows us how to live our lives by putting others’ needs before our own. God’s objective for creating us was for everyone to be made with dignity and purpose, even those people who have disabilities.
The Church teaches that all life is made in the image and likeness of God, born or unborn, from conception to death. I have worked with and met a lot of people who have disabilities. Some of them may feel out of place because they are not able to do some things that we are able to do. It is our job to make them feel like they belong, because they do. Every life put into the world is a miracle, and God took time to create each life with intent. Some may say that life does not begin until birth because you are not a human at conception. However, the church teaches that life begins the second you are made in your mother’s womb. Therefore, God admires all human life no matter the size or age. As the Bible says, “nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything. Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25). This shows that God gives us everything, starting with our own life.
Radical Solidarity is recognizing that someone else’s struggle is your struggle. To me, it also means bringing the community together and helping each other out. Most people think donating is the best way to help, while that is important, there are a variety of other ways to assist people in need. Doing community service, making sure everyone is being treated right, and coming together to be kind and helpful are all things that people can do to help. At dance, I help take care of the kids with special needs. It is such a big community, and we always have a blast dancing together. Radical solidarity is important to our society because without it, our world would be a mess. As Christians we should practice radical solidarity because by working together, it produces a stronger community. St. John Paul II say, “Solidarity is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far”-St. John Paul II.
There are many ways that us 8th graders can help women, children, and families who need it. God created us to share love, and we should cherish that gift. One of the things that people my age could do to help, is to support and treasure children with special needs so that they can grow and thrive. Some people think that people with disabilities are different from everyone else because of the way they look. They are not different. In fact, they are just like us. Therefore, everyone deserves the same amount of respect. My dance studio offers a class for children and teenagers with different types of disabilities. We also participate in the Buddy Walk in Cincinnati every year, which supports the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati. It touches my heart when I see their smiling faces and the light in their eyes when they are dancing. The Catechism states, “The virtue of chastity blossoms in friendship” (CCC 2347). This means that helping others creates friendships. In order for us to share God’s gift of love, we not only have to be friendly, but compassionate about the things that we do.
God wants for us to share our love and treat everyone with courtesy. He wants us to include everyone, even people with disabilities. The church teaches that all life is precious, from the moment you are in your mother’s womb to natural death, and everyone deserves to be treated with dignity. This means practicing radical solidarity, in which St. John Paul II teaches. Radical solidarity can help people my age change someone’s life for the better.
