Chapter 50

       This chapter took me by surprise, because I had never thought of the cause of deafness as anything that has physically affected a person's hearing.  Instead, this chapter attempts to explain that supernatural events are believed by some people to be the reason others are deaf.  Although I do believe that God created each person as part of a divine plan (pg 303), the fact that deafness could be seen as a punishment was surprising and incorrect.  Even more surprising was that "some people honestly believe that children are born disabled because their parents did something evil" (pg 304).

       As written in Chapter 49, deafness is something that people are either born with, or develop later in life due to multiple causes, including genetics, virus, accidents, etc.  I think it is extremely incorrect to suggest that "a soul is born as a deaf person as a punishment-i.e., bad karma" (pg 304).  This idea that deafness is a punishment shows ignorance and also shows how differently other cultures/religions view those who are deaf.  

       This chapter explains more about many different groups.  For example, Hinduism and Buddhism are the main religions that promote the idea of karma, whether good or bad.  In addition, this chapter talked about how in "ancient Greece, fathers had the right to abandon "defective" babies" (pg 303).  This information was shocking and extremely disappointing...I still find it hard to believe that in the past, it was looked down upon to have differences, such as being deaf.