Dickson was a wealthy man who owned a country estate. One day, he was approached by a man called Jerome who told him he had cancer and asked if he could park his caravan on Dickson’s property while he recovered. When Dickson discovered that Jerome was terminally ill and had no one to care for him in that condition, he took him into his house instead.
Dickson did his best for the dying man but felt inadequate when it came to caring for him. He had no nursing experience and wasn’t great with soothing words either, so he fell back on the two things he knew he could offer; acceptance, companionship, and love.
During the last weeks of Jerome’s life, a deep bond of friendship developed between them. Jerome was in great pain and found the long nights most difficult of all. So Dickson slept on a mattress on the floor near Jerome’s bed. He gave Jerome a little hand bell and told him never to hesitate to ring it should he need anything. Dickson would always be on a call.
How reassuring it must have been for this dying man to know that someone accepted him, cared for him, and became his friend to the very end. After Jerome passed, Dickson found fulfilment in the acceptance, friendship, and love he showed Jerome during his dying days. He was celebrated during Jerome’s funeral, and he became an inspiration to many till today.
We might think we can’t do much individually to create a more just and loving world through acceptance. No, we can. It starts with you and me.
Acceptance is the state of being accepted or acceptable. This means we can either give or receive acceptance. Acceptance and love go hand in hand. Acceptance starts from self. Someone who does not accept his natural flaws and limitations as a human being can not accept others. Again, do parents accept their children’s shortcomings? It is a myth to believe that all parents have a natural and same degree of acceptance to all their children. A highly controlling and low nurturing parenting style results in a lack of acceptance and aggression in children. The next level of acceptance is believing in humanity, the disposition to accept others, to render help, to appreciate people, to praise the good and to speak against evil, not minding what the world would say.
Although genes are sometimes a factor in the level of acceptance a child gives or receives, environmental factors play a dominating part. The world is full of critics, those who don’t accept reality, who are anti-social, withdrawn, and depressive. Such people do not positively influence others but inhibit them from yielding to acceptance. This lack of accountability motivates the emotions of fear, anxiety, and bitterness in people, which affects building social skills, companionship, recreation, group participation, and conflict management. It further goes to affect emotional growth, ethical and moral development.
Acceptance in children and youths is naturally learned and observed from childhood. A child who did not experience acceptance may grow up finding fault in others. He usually feels like; his nose looks scary, she’s four and not speaking, he’s thirteen and can not pass entrance exams, he is not my type, she talks too much for my liking, her parents are too religious, they are poor, and so on. We must understand that we do not choose some life situations we find ourselves in and must learn to accept the reality of nature in the circumstance we find ourselves and others.
Children and youths must learn to accept others unconditionally, no matter what they do, their social class, and what behaviour they engage in. Every human being deserves to be accepted. Acceptance creates a happier, healthier, and positive environment for everybody. Parents, teachers, and other adults are a good source of social support for children and must do well to model and teach acceptance.
BIBLE VERSE
*Romans 15:7 *“Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.”*
PROVERB
For no man could be blessed without the acceptance of his own head….Yoruba Proverb
RIDDLE
What can be given and can be accepted, is worth a great deal but costs nothing yet has no monetary value?
Amara Ann Unachukwu
