Happy Birthday, Big Daddy Hawking!
I disagree with the author. Sure honor him for kicking arse and taking names but I don’t really think a big deal should be made of his disease. He got it. He rules. Just rock on and don’t focus on the ‘bad stuff.’ I talk a lot about health issues (personal!) here but I do not want to be ‘the blogger who inherited all those diseases.’ Screw you. I mean, Happy Birthday, Dr.!
Well said. One of the most amazing people of our lifetime.
Indeed! He’s writings are meant for the layman but still confuzzle me in places. Nevertheless. He’s amazing. The universe is better for having him.
It was very fortunate that the disease he got did not affect his mind. And incredible man!
Indeed. What a loss it would’ve been for us.
I couldn’t agree more. I hate the whole hero-worshipping people who are ‘fighting their disease’ blabla. What on earth does that even mean? You get something (especially genetic somethings – like ALS, you’re actually BORN with), you have it, you may or may not die from it… it’s not an adversary, it’s part of you, it’s who you are… and yes Hawking lived 50 years with a diagnosis that spells death in 5… that means either he was misdiagnosed, or he has something fantastic and hitherto unknown going on that counters the effect of ALS – guess what’s most likely… in either case… he didn’t actually fight or do anything other than get really good fancy geeky gadgets to keep living a sensible life. So, wondrous as his handicap may be… he DID do an awful lot of science and he did it famously and brilliantly and against all odds… and I think he still does today at 71! How cool is that! Thankfully that is also what most people applaud him for.
I grew up with people in wheelchairs, and I don’t see the chairs anymore, I see the people in them, and it just annoys me when the chair or ventilator is all other people see – especially because it means that parents with recently handicapped kids refuse to let their kids have wheelchairs because they don’t want them to be handicapped… even if THAT is what handicaps them… the lack of a wheelchair, the inability to move under own power. (sorry… got ranting… will stop now.) YAY Hawking!
Drude,
Thank you for saying what I MEANT!
I, too, grew up surrounded by legs of all colors AND atrophied in wheelchairs. I caregave some (by toddler age) and was the ‘para’ (in poor, rural areas, you’d better sort it yourself) for Mum’s bestie’s son who had the abilities of a 3yo but was several years older than I.
You can imagine the fights I had, protecting him! Even against adults.
Yes, I see something but it’s where that person is. There’s nothing like playing board games with another teenager who can’t move or speak ((CP). When he had seizures, I called him mum and rolled him on his side, talking about my plans for the weekend. I KNEW he heard me and while I was sorry he couldn’t live as freely as I, I never doubted his ‘personhood.’
I think we’re a bit different for having this more rounded upbringing. People are people. Skills and talents are to be celebrated but let’s not make a fuss about genetics!