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Appreciating abilitiesBy Ken Root Believing God's gifts are equally distributed is one of the great falsehoods of civilization. No two people are the same. What comes easy for one is hard for another. What seems normal to most is very difficult for a person whose brain is wired differently. Appreciating that difference as a gift rather than a disability is a challenge in a educational system that tries to place every person in a square hole. Some simply don't fit and the loss is not just to them but to all of us. I did not understand dyslexia or other learning challenges any more than did my grade school teachers. I recall ridicule of students who transposed words or could not grasp a math concept and even spankings in front of the room for those who could not "fit" the system. When I became a teacher, I began to see the school system start a screening process that picked up some of the more classic learning disabilities at an early age and helped the students accomplish their work, even if it might be in a nontraditional way. That was when I first realized that there were people within the community who had endured a social liability while possessing an extraordinary ability. Most of the time, these people are so clever in covering their learning deficiency that a family member has to tell you what they can't do. I knew a farmer who couldn't read. He was conversant in everything, yet he never truly read anything. How on earth had he made it in life without the advantage of turning the written word into knowledge? A psychologist told me that a farmer is more likely to be dyslexic than the average population. The reason is that a successful farmer thinks "holistically," meaning that he or she fits everything together by looking at the bigger picture rather than the specifics that "normal" learning rewards. This man may have been dyslexic and used his abilities to memorize enough to get by until he was old enough to drop out of school. In later years, he became successful enough to rejoin social circles but had to cover the lack of reading skill. He lived a long and full life and few ever knew what he could not do. I don't go looking for these remarkable individuals as a means of demeaning them, or elevating myself, but to be inspired by their will to use their strengths to be productive, prosperous and happy. A lady who is an encyclopedia on gardening and flowers and an accomplished sculptor declares herself as "different" in her learning skills. Her husband clearly recognizes her strengths and is the interface with the public to balance their relationship. If asked a question, she can quote you chapter and verse about the plant, from botanical name to native growing region to the method of cultivation so you can enjoy it in the Midwest. She arranges flowers with a skill that makes her bouquets sell out in a couple of hours at the farmers market and she creates sculpture that provide a wonderful theme and mood to complement a garden setting. I have not once heard her say that her learning disability held her back. Finally, and probably the most amazing, is an engineer who builds paving equipment of large size and amazing accuracy yet who can't read. His business partners shared it with me, not as a mark against his abilities but as a means to appreciate the incredible thinking process he possesses. I watched him walk around with a tape measure and marveled at what he could do. He began with one piece of steel and wound up with a complex machine. "We made him tell us his formulas and the step-by-step manner in which he builds our equipment," said one of the co-owners. "We just can't imagine what we'd do if he was unable to continue his work." They think that through their notes they could recreate his inventions but not without a well-schooled technician who could "reverse-engineer" his creations. I wonder if ancient artists who possessed incredible abilities might have had a learning disability that would have disqualified them in a structured environment. Genius thought to be idiocy happens. (The reverse also happens in business and government.) Albert Einstein was thought to be incompetent and was sent home by one of his grade school teachers. Sen. Jim Graham, from Texas, failed three grades. I am sure you can name several people who had a tough time in their formative years and then went on to great achievement. Maybe it is the evening out process that inspires some to overcome great obstacles to achieve and others who seem to possess everything to fail. Most defeats in life seem to come from lack of effort more than lack of ability. It is a great feeling to be inspired by someone that society classifies as "disabled." Exceeding expectations takes on new meaning. Some people are inwardly encouraged and others need the praise of others. Being able to be a friend and a supporter inspires us to reach a "personal best" in our own lives. If you know of people who have inspired you with their abilities, I'd love to hear about them. Email works best but sending a letter to my editor will also get to me, and several of us may read your story along the way. Editor's note: Ken Root has been an agricultural reporter for 37 years. Root now does daily radio and television programming and is a columnist. He can be reached at kenroot@gmail.com.
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