“Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh explains Berdyaev’s idea this way: “Hunger is not always a hunger for bread, sometimes it is a hunger for a human gesture, an affectionate look” **
Today we live apart, we rarely think about the needs of another person. But I want my daughter to live and think differently. A few years ago, my wife and I created a fund to support children with developmental disabilities “I am!”: we are trying to draw attention to children with Down syndrome, autism, and cerebral palsy. Our 6-year-old daughter Evdokia is friends with some of our charges. And the first result is already visible: among her dolls, whom she calls her children, a “boy with Down syndrome” has appeared. And she brings him up with the rest. It is with her light hand that we at the foundation call such children “amazing”, for Evdokia they are the norm of life. And we no longer need to explain anything to her about tolerance, cooperation and mutual support. It seems to me that this is a very valuable experience and such an important step towards the formation of her personality.
* Nikolai Berdyaev (1874–1948), Russian philosopher.
** Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh (1914–2003), one of the most respected Orthodox theologians in the world. He quotes Nikolai Berdyaev in The School of Prayer (Christian Life, 2011).