George Will on bravery, trust, and Jon

George Will wrote a lovely column today in celebration of the 40th birthday of his son, Jon, who has Down's Syndrome: http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentaries/149923645.html . He includes this reflection: "Judging by Jon, the world would be improved by more people with Down syndrome, who are quite nice, as humans go. It is said we are all born brave, trusting and greedy, and remain greedy. People with Down syndrome must remain brave in order to navigate society's complexities. They have no choice but to be trusting because, with limited understanding, and limited abilities to communicate misunderstanding, they, like Blanche DuBois in "A Streetcar Named Desire," always depend on the kindness of strangers." I've often observed those two traits -- astonishing bravery, and complete and utter trust -- in my son (who also has Down Syndrome). My husband and I often marvel at the heroic bravery Pete displays every single day, navigating with joy a world in which so much that we take for granted -- like why his mom disappears for three days to go to a conference -- must seem so arbitrary and senseless. But I have a theory about that trusting nature that George Will sees as something that is thrust upon people with Down Syndrome as a result of their limited cognitive abilities. I think that Pete has the gift of living with utter confidence that the people he encounters in the world love him. Though that is, of course, sadly not always the case, I still call this a gift, because I think it stems from Pete's absolute, unshakable conviction that he is loved by God. And that's something those of us without diagnosed cognitive limitations seem to have so much trouble understanding, no matter how many times, and in how many ways, God keeps telling us that it is so.