Review Of Jean Vanier's Book 'The Heart Of L' Arche

Jean Vanier’s book The Heart of L’Arche talks about how he came about establishing L’Arche and what his experiences has been like. The book starts off by talking about the mystery of the poor. It seems that we all live in this competitive society where the better a person is or the more money they have the better off they will be, however Jean Vanier challenges this. He talks about how when a person befriends the poor or a person with a disability, they tend to have a transformation of their own heart. There is a part where Vanier talks about what true friendship looks like and how most of the time, we have superficial friends, but no true friends. He says, “opening ourselves to friendship means becoming vulnerable, taking off our masks and …show more content…
I liked the idea of L’Arche and what it is trying to do for those who are normally considered outcast and people of no worth. I like how Vanier is trying to create a community where people who have disabilities feel loved and like they are just like every other person on this planet. This really hits close to home for me because my brother has down syndrome. It is always hard to see others walk by and pass judgement on him before they take the time to really get to know him. It is not like it was his choice to have this happen to him. Just like Jean Vanier talked about how in his experience he noticed that those with disabilities do not see anyone as a celebrity, I can say from being around my brother this is true. He sees everyone the same. Yes, he understands that some people are older than him and younger, but he does not recognise if someone is higher in status. To him everyone is the same. Also, to my brother considers everyone to be his friends. He will walk up to anyone and try to say hello and give them a hug. It is super sweet to see this in action. I have to say it was really nice reading about a person who has taken the time to really and truly get to know those who are different. If my brother was not in a family that has embraced his situation and strive everyday to help him feel like everyone else, I would hope that he would be able to find a place like