The Human Potential…

… I was reminded again this last week of the amazing potential of the human spirit to overcome whatever life happens to deal them.  I attended a wonderful conference sponsored by the MIT Media Lab called h2.0; new minds, new bodies, new identities.  It was an information rich, inspirational experience.  The host was American journalist John Hockenberry.  I’m sure he was selected, not only for his endearing live interview style, and wit,… but as a paraplegic he represented the very soul of this day-long event.  The way John puts it, he has enjoyed life to its fullest the 19 years before his accident, as well as the 30-plus years since.  It’s just different he says, but it has never held him back, evidenced by his four Emmy’s and three Peabody Awards.  And while one might be prompted to say he was exceptional, it wasn’t until the day at Kresge Auditorium wrapped up that I began to see John as just one example of the potential within all humans to embrace personal, physical challenges,… and in so doing, rally motivation for others.

The day was filled with a mixture of researchers, scientists, and other professionals,… around a common theme of ‘new’ innovations which augment/enhance the capabilities of an individual, and the success stories they have created.  For example, Tod Machover, professor of music and media at the MIT Media Lab, talked about how music can enable expression.  He introduced an animated young gentleman named Dan Ellsey with cerebral palsy, who was able to play a musical piece he had created using Machover’s composition software and a specially adapted light that he wore on a head band.  Talk about having people on the edge of their seats, the place was in awe as he twisted and bobbed his head to create chords, tempo and emphasis just like an orchestra conductor.  And the biggest treat of all was to see the huge smile fill his face at the end, in response to our standing ovation.  Here was potential, tremendous potential, lying untapped until inventors like Machover discover appropriate tools/technologies to release it.

Another fella that blew me away was Doug Smith, a Neurosurgery professor and Director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair at the University of Pennsylvania.  He showed us how his lab has been successfully growing nerve fibers in culture,… you heard me, nerve fibers.  And if that wasn’t enough, they have taken these nerve constructs and used them to repair large lesions associated with spinal cord injuries in laboratory animals…!  Is this a cure for spinal chord injuries…? Not yet but it shows great promise.  In the afternoon session a panel of three people, all with various physical challenges, took the stage.  Each was delightful in the positive perspective they had on their limitations (they really don’t even see them as such),… but one is worth mentioning, Aimee Mullins.  One reason she stood out is that she walked on stage in 6-inch stilettos and stood above the other two by quite a bit.  A double amputee from age 3, Aimee has found success as a photo model, an actress, a world-record-setting athlete and currently the president of the Woman’s Sports Foundation.  Aimee talked about how nice it is to have different legs for different purposes, she has ten sets in all,… joking that she felt sorry for the rest of us that have to get by with just one set of legs.  She spoke convincingly of possibility and potential, especially in light of the inventions that preceded her on the agenda.

It was truly an amazing day.  I am encouraged and proud to see science put to such noble use,… to harvest the potential of a person to be all that they can be.  There isn’t one way to see, or hear, or walk, talk or whatever,… there are many ways to experience the world around us, and the people at this conference are working towards that end.  It may involve attaching something (as in a prosthetic), inserting something (like a cochlear implant), or adding something (a wheel chair).  Each unleashes a new wave of potential,… and the human spirit responds.  Feel the pride…?