Pastoral Relationship with People with Intellectual ... - Theses

52chapter 5. Suffice to say, at this point, that the use of metaphor to describe theinstitutional context is crucial to the liberationist foundation of this extendedreflection. It is through the appropriate application of the language of symbol thatthe lives of those who live with intellectual disability in the institutional contextwithin the oppression/liberation paradigm can be most appropriately interpretedand understood. It is Poling who justifiably advocates for the deployment ofmetaphor and symbol in the narratives of the oppressed so that their stories canbe truthfully heard within the context of their lived community. 87 In terms of thisreflection, such symbolic deployment and interpretation invite the possibility ofrevealed pastoral vulnerabilities, and of challenging meanings described. Suchcan be the path of truthful understanding. 882.2.2 Towards a Metaphorical VisionTherefore, a metaphorical vision is sought that will creatively feed intothis extended reflection, that will afford creative insight into the nature of therelationship between people with an intellectual disability who areaccommodated in an institutional environment, and those who seek to engage incare with them.2.2.2.1 Journey to FlorenceOn a journey to Italy, and to Florence, in the European autumn of 1997, Iwent in search of Michelangelo’s David. This is a statue that, over the centuries,has become one of the defining works of art, amidst the extraordinary flourishingof creative expression, that was the Italian Renaissance. The statue of David islocated in the Galleria dell'Accademia. It is to be found at the end of a longcorridor and stands beneath the museum’s imposing dome.Already raised on a dais approximately one and a half metres off theground, and standing at over four metres in height, its legendary and physicallylarger than life proportions immediately draw me past other statues that borderthe way towards David. The statue of the youthful, future King of Israelexpresses a languid, yet serene confidence following his slaying of the Philistinegiant, Goliath, with a single stone from his slingshot.87 Poling, The Abuse of Power, 189.See also,Schmidt, William. "Power as Theological Problem." The Journal of Pastoral Care 46, no. 1(1992): 71-77, 77.88 Pattison, "Some Objections,” 103-07.