For many people, adversity is often viewed as something that we should work hard to overcome. In the talk by Aimee Mullins, she gives examples of how the thesaurus defines the word ‘disabled.’ Interestingly, the descriptions are not encouraging, with synonyms such as handicapped and weakened. In further deliberating on the concept, she reveals that the human perception of disability is what determines the choice of language. Nonetheless, in spite of the language, she notes that her life has been positive, with achievements that are not indicated in the given definitions. Furthermore, she hasn’t managed that by emerging on the other side of her adversity, but by living with it.
Quoting Darwin, Aimee reveals that adaptability to change is what determines survival, other than strength or intelligence. Furthermore, she explores how the choice of language influences how one perceives themselves. Consequently, when ‘A students’ are told they are ‘D students,’ they behave as such, and vice versa. Therefore, she advises that adversity, when viewed as an opportunity, can be particularly rewarding.
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Growing up, I delayed learning to read due to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Consequently, I was not as comprehensible as my classmates when it came to reading. The lack of comprehension affected my grades and social relationships. Sometimes the other children would laugh, and I would get even more discouraged.
My grade 6 teacher was particularly encouraging. Like Dr. P in Aimee Mullin’s story, she gave me a challenge that had me change my perception. She would reward every attempt I made to pronounce correctly and recall numbers, and encouraged me to always practice. She perceived me as intelligent, and that is what I became. The fact that I had problems focusing did not hinder me from excelling in class. Instead, it made me realize that I had to work a lot smarter than the others.
