LIFE WITHOUT WALLS: LESSON FROM THE LIFE OF STEPHEN HAWKING.

 The Great Wall of China
Credit: themysteriousworld.com

Once upon a time, the strength of Nations on the earth was in the walls they built. Nations with the most impenetrable walls were considered to be most powerful. For instance the Great Wall of China, Hadrian's Wall, England, Kano City Wall et. al are testimonies to this fact.

As time went on, people began to pull down walls, not just because of expansion but also because they realised that there was strength in vulnerability; that actually, walls were limitation to expansion and growth.

Similarly, as an individual advances in life, walls are built intentionally, consciously or circumstantially. These walls may be innocently raised to protect us but many soon discover that it is more of a limitation than expression.

I consider walls therefore, to be any of the several happenstance that appears to set limitations to any wo(man) life'sadvancement, innovation and creativity.

Today, I am motivated by the story of Stephen Hawking, who defied odds to set pace and standard in the evolution of science in modern times.

In 1963, twenty one years after his birth, young Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis "ALS" a motor neuron disease. He was told he had only two weeks to live, he would be consigned to a wheel chair and unable to communicate without the aid of a machine. Disappointed but undeterred, Stephen Hawking went ahead to receive over 28 honorary awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. In 2002, Hawking was ranked number 25 in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. His book A Brief History of Time appeared on the British Sunday Times best-seller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks.

Stephen William Hawking

       Credit: phicsandgraphics.com

Hawking's final work was released two weeks before his death and  titled it "A Smooth Exit From Eternal Inflation" — In it, he predicted how our universe would eventually fade to darkness as the stars run out of energy. This work is a gamer for Nobel Prize.
With his achievements and that of  many more like him - alive or dead, I believe we ought to review the definition of disability. Disability is a deficiency of the mind and not of the body.

I make bold to announce that there are no more walls limiting your creativity and innovation. Not culture, not emotion, not background, not even for lack of education. Therefore, I have vowed to not to accept any thing less than I have bargained for in life and I also promise to give all that I have in me to develop men and build systems, so that when I die, it will be said "this is Ajamah Oluwaseun, he made the world a better place.

Ajamah Oluwaseun.
Redefining culture- shaping thoughts- influencing actions.