Chuckism #38
It's not the vulnerabilities that make the weakness.
So often we hear, especially today, about how someone has this, or is suffering from that; which is the reason they can't do this, or that. And, while it's sometimes the case that afflictions and ailments can, in deed, stay one's hand in life's whimseys and wind falls of a particular order, it's not the thing that actually holds a soul against living a life.
It's the failure to deal with them.
Now, that may sound like an arrogant concede, and perhaps it may be. But try and tell that to Professor Hawking; who is the preeminent mind on all things cosmic, and a few others. Stevie Wonder barely blinked at the idea he couldn't perform music. Franklin Roosevelt had the best seat in the house during his tenure in the White House. Helen Keller showed she had a lot to say in twelve books. And Beethoven never heard some of his most famous works. Of course, if that's a little cliche and heavy handed for you, consider this; with just one small slip during a meal out, I could have as little as six minutes to figure out how I am going to stay alive for a seventh.
I have a dangerous, potentially lethal food allergy that can turn some of the most ordinary, and most commonly enjoyed food and beverages into viral poisons. And this has not only robbed me of some of the more memorable rights of passage of the common American kid, but has, on occasion, made me the butt of ridicule from less than understanding kids, in my youth. It is very difficult to feel and lead a normal life when your family has to fuss with folks everywhere you go because you are... unique.
How does one deal? I discovered other foods that most kids my age had never heard of, let alone try. I discovered desserts and dishes from cultures and countries across the globe that I could not only enjoy, but relish in. And, because of that, I became open to the peoples of other lands, their music, the art, and their very way of life, sometimes. In essence, when kids were scarfing down ice cream, I was beginning to explore the world neighborhood I lived in, and my neighbors, as well; giving me a leg up on what it means to be a member of the human race.
Vulnerable?
Okay, sure. And really, who isn't? But weak? I am anything but. Like
the iron in the forge, it is being pushed to the brink, the pressing of
vulnerabilities, that eventually gives us our greatest strengths.
Okay, sure, it's a lame vulnerability. But, hey, Green Lantern can be felled by any preschooler with a yellow crayon. So, there is that...
*Image credit: Chris Peters
It's not the vulnerabilities that make the weakness.
So often we hear, especially today, about how someone has this, or is suffering from that; which is the reason they can't do this, or that. And, while it's sometimes the case that afflictions and ailments can, in deed, stay one's hand in life's whimseys and wind falls of a particular order, it's not the thing that actually holds a soul against living a life.
It's the failure to deal with them.
Now, that may sound like an arrogant concede, and perhaps it may be. But try and tell that to Professor Hawking; who is the preeminent mind on all things cosmic, and a few others. Stevie Wonder barely blinked at the idea he couldn't perform music. Franklin Roosevelt had the best seat in the house during his tenure in the White House. Helen Keller showed she had a lot to say in twelve books. And Beethoven never heard some of his most famous works. Of course, if that's a little cliche and heavy handed for you, consider this; with just one small slip during a meal out, I could have as little as six minutes to figure out how I am going to stay alive for a seventh.
I have a dangerous, potentially lethal food allergy that can turn some of the most ordinary, and most commonly enjoyed food and beverages into viral poisons. And this has not only robbed me of some of the more memorable rights of passage of the common American kid, but has, on occasion, made me the butt of ridicule from less than understanding kids, in my youth. It is very difficult to feel and lead a normal life when your family has to fuss with folks everywhere you go because you are... unique.
How does one deal? I discovered other foods that most kids my age had never heard of, let alone try. I discovered desserts and dishes from cultures and countries across the globe that I could not only enjoy, but relish in. And, because of that, I became open to the peoples of other lands, their music, the art, and their very way of life, sometimes. In essence, when kids were scarfing down ice cream, I was beginning to explore the world neighborhood I lived in, and my neighbors, as well; giving me a leg up on what it means to be a member of the human race.
Vulnerable?
Okay, sure. And really, who isn't? But weak? I am anything but. Like
the iron in the forge, it is being pushed to the brink, the pressing of
vulnerabilities, that eventually gives us our greatest strengths.Okay, sure, it's a lame vulnerability. But, hey, Green Lantern can be felled by any preschooler with a yellow crayon. So, there is that...
*Image credit: Chris Peters
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