Listening to BBC is a treat. Among the mundane news and affairs from around the world, the station occasionally surprises with very inspiring and energizing bits. This morning, the interview program HardTalk featured Maysoon Zayid, the Palestinian American stand-up comedian who was born with Cerebral Palsy or CP. The condition is caused by abnormal development or defect in the parts of the brain that control movement, muscle coordination, balance and posture.
Inspired by her amazing journey, I also watched her remarkable TED talk. Her story is that of perseverance, struggle, commitment and inspiration. A lot of the credit goes to her parents who treated her as equal to her able-bodied sisters and made Maysoon do whatever the sisters did. Same work, same chores, same school, same education. This instilled in her a deep sense of equality and a high level of confidence. In the TED Talk, she renders her life story in a vivid, satirical and comical way with some serious undertones of her struggle through life and her ongoing battle with discrimination, bullying and threats.
Parts of those threats emanate from the fact that she is a Muslim of Arab origin. Her remarks, though funny, also carry a message of alarm regarding the increasing level of racial discrimination, religious stereotyping and bigotry.
As an able-bodied person with very limited achievements, I found Maysoon Zayid a remarkable source of encouragement. If she can achieve so much in the face of so many challenges including a debilitating illness, why can't a fully able-bodied person achieve her or his dreams. A deep message of introspection. If tried hard enough with right approach, dreams are there to be realized. As Zayid herself said at the end of the talk, quoting her own father "If I can can, you also can can".
24 December 2018
Inspired by her amazing journey, I also watched her remarkable TED talk. Her story is that of perseverance, struggle, commitment and inspiration. A lot of the credit goes to her parents who treated her as equal to her able-bodied sisters and made Maysoon do whatever the sisters did. Same work, same chores, same school, same education. This instilled in her a deep sense of equality and a high level of confidence. In the TED Talk, she renders her life story in a vivid, satirical and comical way with some serious undertones of her struggle through life and her ongoing battle with discrimination, bullying and threats.
Parts of those threats emanate from the fact that she is a Muslim of Arab origin. Her remarks, though funny, also carry a message of alarm regarding the increasing level of racial discrimination, religious stereotyping and bigotry.
As an able-bodied person with very limited achievements, I found Maysoon Zayid a remarkable source of encouragement. If she can achieve so much in the face of so many challenges including a debilitating illness, why can't a fully able-bodied person achieve her or his dreams. A deep message of introspection. If tried hard enough with right approach, dreams are there to be realized. As Zayid herself said at the end of the talk, quoting her own father "If I can can, you also can can".
24 December 2018
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