come to this magnificent house of worship tonight because my conscience leaves me no other choice. i join you in this meeting because i am in deepest agreement with the aims and work of the organization which has brought us together: clergy and laymen concerned about vietnam. the recent statements of your executive committee are the sentiments of my own heart, and i found myself in full accord when i read its opening lines: "a time comes when silence is betrayal." and that time has come for us in relation to vietnam.
the truth of these words is beyond doubt, but the mission to which they call us is a most difficult one. even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men do not easily assume the task of opposing their government's policy, especially in time of war. nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against all the apathy of conformist thought within one's own bosom and in the surrounding world. moreover, when the issues at hand seem as perplexed as they often do in the case of this dreadful conflict, we are always on the verge of being mesmerized by uncertainty; but we must move on.
delicacies are tasty, but eating everyday can still make one lose appetite. happiness is what everyone longs for, but too much happiness can spoil people who may not care about the happiness they already have. it's universal to live in happiness without knowing it. the same is true with love. very few people can love the same person passionately all their lives. all love stories come to an end no matter how beautiful they are, which also demonstrate the changeability of love. what one has been chasing wildly may turn into something one wants to get rid of desperately in the end. besides, love is usually blind, especially those who fall in love at the first sight. at the very beginning, both try to demonstrate their beautiful side and cover up their weakness. fooled by the mysterious color of love, one often mistakes the weaknesses as merits. however, as time passes by, frequent contacts make one bored, and even merits become defects, and then the end of love is coming. what's more, there are the capricious men and women who never take love seriously, leaving the devoted ones suffering alone. the saying that the devoted is always abandoned by the heartless has almost become the truth of love affairs. what we can't neglect is that love may turn into hatred, and lovers may also become enemies. the best proof is the numerous divorces.
however, fraternal love is not stable. being away for too a long time, losing all common benefits, friends will become estranged. once their interest has changed, they no longer understand each other, and even this would harm friendship. at all times and in all countries, many close friends and battle companions who once worked together and fought together became enemies in the end. quiet a few of the emperors in ancient china even killed those who had helped them found their dynasties. the taiping heavenly kingdom would not have failed if it hadn't been for the contending and massacring among the those who first rose in rebellion at the beginning of the uprising. what else we need to pay attention to is that some friends, after being away from each other for too long a time, have lost so much of their original characters that when meeting again, you will feel that you are still the same as you were, while they are no longer themselves. they may have the same feeling about you, so sometimes it's better not to meet each other again. as the chinese proverb goes “friendship can not last for three years and flowers can not stay in blossom for three months”.it's not so easy to maintain real friendship which needs mutual understanding, tolerance and sacrifice. any kinds of harsh treatment will damage friendship.
amatory love has been a mystery for ages. there's neither a criterion to judge nor a common rule to follow. nobody can tell the exact reasons why love emerges. it is not always because of beauty (the ugly doorkeeper quasimodo in the hunchback of notre dame is loved by the beautiful gypsy girl esmeralda),nor kindness (hitler also has his mistress),nor wisdom ( even the blockhead may sometimes marry a beautiful girl),nor strength (some love starts from sympathy).true love is like getting an electric shock, shaking our soul. it is a sweet dream, a kind of intoxication, indulgence, and endless passion.
true love doesn't need a long time to grow up, to make clear the family tree of the other, neither does it needs the time to look ahead and behind again and again. love is not marriage, which usually starts from love, but doesn't always depend on love to maintain. long-lasting marriage can eventually turn into a kind of family love, a kind of companionship which preserves the companion but loses the passion. love is often an wink of the eye, or a smile that hints mutual understanding. in spite of the great distance between them, people may fall in love incidentally. hence the saying “a distant marriage is tied up with a mysterious thread”. love needs passion, and it can stand bumps and stumbles, ups and downs, complaints and blames. when it turns into a pool of water, especially dead water, without any billows or waves, it's time for it to die.
ultimately, there is more support for americans with autism than ever before. this means more promise of new breakthroughs that will help us understand autism even better. but in order to continue meeting the needs of people with autism, the combating autism act must be fully reauthorized. we still have a long way to go. working collaboratively with important partners, the affordable care act and the combating autism act will allow us to continue important research and develop and refine vital treatments.
there are still many unknowns. however, one thing is certain. we will continue to work harder than ever to find solutions and provide support to individuals with asd and their families. together, we can help reduce disparities and allow everyone to actualize their greatest potential.
kathleen sebelius is secretary of health and human services.
helping every american with autism achieve their full potential is one of this administration’s top priorities. at the u.s. department of health and human services, we continue to strive to meet the complex needs of all people with autism spectrum disorders (asd) and their families. while there is no cure, early intervention is critical and can greatly improve a child’s development.
perhaps the biggest step we’ve taken to support those affected by autism and their families happened over a year ago, with the signing of the affordable care act. now, new insurance plans are required to cover autism screening and developmental assessments for children at no cost to parents. insurers will also no longer be allowed to deny children coverage for a pre-existing condition such as asd or to set arbitrary lifetime or annual limits on benefits.
also, thanks to the new law, young adults are allowed to stay on their family health insurance until they turn 26. for a young adult with autism spectrum disorder and their family, that means peace of mind. it means more flexibility, more options, and more opportunity to reach their full potential.