The human & the line.
Amanda Baggs is a 26-year-old woman with autism. She's also human.
The line? I'll leave that up to you.
Amanda made her video, "In My Language" to challenge the general notions of what makes us human. Then she posted her video on YouTube.
The first three minutes won't make much sense until Amanda starts her narration using the only level of communication in which she can express herself so that we can make meaning, a synthesized voice from a computer. But watch the video. It's worth eight minutes of your life to learn this.
"It's like being bilingual," she types. "A lot of the way I naturally communicate is just through direct response to what is around me in a very physical sort of way. It's dealing with patterns and colors rather than with symbolic words."
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This has become a ritual for me.
This morning I was confronted with the above clip. I"m not quite sure how to articulate my reaction. In fact, my boyfriend and I got in a disagreement about our interpretations about the video clip. His take being that there is no 'communication' if there is no common modality of 'communication'. Although I understand his perspective, I think humans are capable of communication beyond those boundaries. I was very impressed with what Amanda B. had to say...but in turn, was almost disappointed in myself for only understanding her through her forefiture of her natural means of communication and assimilation to mine.
It made me feel as though I have become somewhat disconnected with the vivacity of the child in me. Let's face it. We judge peole like Amanda. They make us uncomfortable. But children won't accept that she is different until we teach them. Kids are full of imagination and awe all mingled in with a non-judgmental accepting view of the world. We seem to deny the 'potential' of possiblity as we age. Imagine, all that intelligence and comprehension in a body or shell of a person, like Amanda, whom most of us cross the street to avoid...switch aisles in the grocery store as to not subject ourselves to the feeling of pity and discomfort.
I grew up on 50 acres in the country as a child. I always thank my parents for this because it has taught me so much reverence for nature and the natural order. It taught me potential and possibility because my imagination was my playmate. Hey..as a kid, it's not enough to look at the tree, we have 1. climb it 2. get sap all over ourselves 3. scratch our leg on it 4. fall out of it and subsequenty break something...now that is being one with nature...lol.. When Amanda spoke of 'interacting with her environment' it reminded me of how I was as a child...brimming with curiosity and compassion. Why do we lose this? Isn't it a blessing to some degree to retain it? I am not implying that 'autism' is a blessing, but she has far more of a symbiotic relationship with her surrounding than I feel I do at this time.
Regardless, her story has definately made me more sensitive and attentive to her prespective, the reality of those with cognitive disabilities, and frankly, my own potential for empathy and understanding.
This field of aesthetics that we all share in common can be somewhat 'jading'. We deal with people who are invulnerabalized by some imperfection they find in their appearance. The more I am in this industry, the more I find the idiosynchroses beautiful. I like a face that tells a story through the tapestry of the skin... like the slight scar above the lip from a childhood fall off of a bike. I think this should be celebrated.
Hence, my philosophy of enhancement, NOT alteration.
Compassion and the skill and intelligence to safely follow through with the science.
Here's to reminding ourselves why we are in our current field. To ressurect the fun in the science and exploration of it. To respect the happiness it can bring people through enhancing their appearance.
We are very fortunate.