What does the passing of a man in 2018 -- albeit a great one -- have to do with the recently-dawned New Year?
Quite a lot actually. For in life, Stephen Hawking taught us so much abut life and how to live it. Even though his time with us has passed, he instructs us still through the example of his life.
But it's also important to put into perspective the real lessons of that life.
These days the renowned physicist is held up by much of the media which shapes societal opinion as an example of what one can achieve in life if one has a disability, but it is important to note that he was only diagnosed with motor neurone disease when he was 21 years old – indeed, his career was set in motion well in advance of that age.
On the surface, pondering this may seem irrelevant. After all, the fact remains he did end up disabled. But in honour of a man who spent his whole life searching for the perfect equation, let’s respect for a moment that the order of things can hold vital importance, and lead to vastly differing conclusions.
This is certainly the case regarding perceptions of Hawking. The cosmologist was catapulted to worldwide fame following the publication of his book A Brief History of Time, yet it is sometimes easy to forget this sudden surge of recognition stemmed not only from his disability, but the small matter of being able to plausibly theorize the entire nature of the universe in his head.
Hawking’s career-defining book hit the shelves in 1988, well before ALS or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis crept into the public consciousness in a big way. By the time I had graduated, society and those around me felt comfortable thrusting forward the image of Hawking, his wheelchair, and his genius as a source of inspiration to all who might be afflicted by any degenerative or life-threatening condition: a statistical anomaly blessed with extreme intelligence, the benchmark for what disabled people could achieve – transcending the tyranny of low expectation so readily shoved upon people by capricious fate..
While is no doubt well-meaning, the widespread ignorance of the truth has twisted the man into something he is not. To be clear, Hawking gained his academic and scientific credentials whilst still very much able-bodied, even coxing one of Oxford’s rowing crews prior to transferring to Cambridge to complete his PhD thesis. Had he been disabled from birth, it is very doubtful he would have been given the same opportunity to establish himself.
Yet it is equally difficult to deny that Hawking’s work attracted such clamour precisely because his physical state and appearance juxtaposed the excellence of his work. Hawking’s doctor touched on the issue in his diagnosis. As the film’s dialogue puts it with succinct brutality:
“Your thoughts won't change, it's just no one will know what they are."
Of course, we now know speech synthesis gave Hawking new ways to continue to communicating, allowing the genius to shine through. Even in today’s age of Google and Wikipedia, there has been nor is there likely to be, any other scientist who is as instantly recognizable.
This battle of appearance over reality gets to the heart of the confusion over who Stephen Hawking is and how his phenomenon ought to be explained. Long since anointed the founding forefather of “acceptable” disability, it was in fact his bright mind that gave him clout – way before he had motor neurone disease. By failing to recognise that Hawking’s success had nothing to do with disability, we give the disease undue credit for his perfectly able mind and outstanding scientific achievements.
This is even more problematic considering recent figures from recent research, which found that four in five disabled people, like Hawking, are not born with their impairments. Despite this, they are still less likely to work full time, and similarly, less likely to be in high-level employment: 49 per cent as compared to 56 per cent of able-bodied people.
And this is where the order of things becomes incredibly important. Hawking very nearly missed out on a First at Oxford, not due to lack of ability, but because of a failure to apply himself properly on questions and examinations he found all too easy for his soaring intellect. The professors waived these indiscretions at his disciplinary undergraduate viva when they realised his potential.
Had Hawking been born with a disability, he would still have had this same potential -- the same mind, same daring, same inherent courage and clarity of thought, but he would have faced very different prejudices. It is likely that even the most basic access to advanced education would have been deemed out of the question, blocking the groundwork from which the mind-boggling theories emerged.
For all those looking for heroes I would say this. Aspire to Hawking's levels of intelligence but do not judge yourself against them, and most of all, do not think it was his disability that made him great. He set in motion his achievements when he wasn’t disabled. While others may take you and your disability (physical, mental, spiritual) at face value, see yourself and your dreams as perfectly able. Stephen Hawking was still Stephen Hawking, wheelchair or otherwise.
So are you.
Boldly Go.