There are some times in my life when I think about my identity and how other people view me. Furthermore, the concepts of disease and health are all related to each other with regards to how an individual can be defined. The life of an individual has to be described in detail in order to know how they live their lives. Sometimes an individual has an accident, and they have had to deal with their current conditions. It has occurred many times when people close to me have become victims of dangerous accidents, and have been left with deformities both emotional and physical. It is vital to know how certain conditions in a person’s life have the ability of changing their outlook about life. The themes in the book by Oliver Sacks include the unconscious and the environment, the body and the self, neurobiology, among others. I have to learn how to establish the weaknesses and strengths of certain specific conditions as well as the degrees to, which they assist in opening various doors for specific individuals. There will be an analysis of the issue on identity and how I perceive it from various multiple perspectives.
Oliver Sacks has successfully proven that he can capture the interest of people not familiar with science. In fact, his essays are extremely popular among the readers especially among those interested in scientific issues while the other readers are interested in its interesting contents. He has used examples and specifically, about how humans and the brain function in their environments. I recommended that you study an individual and how they change or become different depending on the activities taking place in their brains. People with disability can live the same life as that of an individual considered ‘normal’. An identity should not be labeled on a person’s physical defects or qualities. For example, you cannot see a disabled person and assume that what you have seen is a person’s identity. In fact, a disabled person might be a Chief Executive Officer of a known multinational company, yet I identify him as just a disabled person. Individuals should not judge others depending on their looks, but rather choose to focus on their capabilities. People will always behave based on the elements existing in their environments and the ease of adjustment.
In some situations, you will not fail to see a person who has lived a ‘normal’ life to be affected by an incident that makes their life different from how it was in the past. It is thus very possible for people used to do certain things in the past to continue doing them. As in the ‘colorblind painter’, the man who became color blind could not handle certain situations in his life quite well. This man had many troubles as witnessed, “He encountered difficulties and distresses of virtually every sort in daily life” (Sacks and Wasserman 5). It means that this man experienced many problems because he could not distinguish the different existing colors. I am sympathetic with the man who had his identity stolen, and now has to look for a new one. I believe that a tragedy can befall anyone and in such situations, people need to be strong and come up with an identity that proves that they are still well.
People need to treat others with compassion, and this means that they should be empathetic to those who have disabilities. It is sometimes annoying when I am are trying to give an explanation to other people about the issues I am facing concerning identity crisis, and they do not want to understand (Gregory 89). For example, if I was Mr. Jonathan, I do not think I would have the patience to deal with people are not willing to listen to me. For example, “loss of color visions what’s the big deal? Some of my friends said this, my wife thought this” (Sacks and Wasserman 4). It is evident that they could not relate to his new condition, and they even seemed to be mocking him. It is evident that there will be times when an individual will have to face the ridicules and harsh treatment from society in an attempt to make their new identity known. If there was another individual in the same situation as Mr. Jonathan was, he or she would make attempts to let people know that they should not try and judge me because I have become color blind.
Lately, an increase in the number of individuals suffering from autism has been witnessed seen in the society. However, people tend to believe that autism is a condition that reduces the intelligence levels of the individuals that it affects. I do not believe that this is true since there are people who have lived more than average lives despite suffering from autism. In ‘Anthropologist from Mars’, information about a woman known as Temple Grandin, who suffers from autism has been provided. Despite the fact that she has autism, she has made great achievements in her life, which I believe would be hard for people who are not autistic to even achieve. She is a professor at the prestigious Colorado State University and is known all over the world for designing high-end livestock facilities. It is evident that she has provided a new perspective on how people view those seen as being ‘abnormal’. Grandin was exceptionally intelligent that even Sacks claimed that “I had never thought about how an autistic person, with a wholly casual or scientific view of the universe and a deficient sense of agency or intention, might formulate such matters as divine judgment or will” ( Sacks 258). Based on Sack’s statement, I am now sure that there are certain assumptions, which people make about other people’s identities, and they are not true. It is better to know an individual on a personal level before making judgment about their identities.
In conclusion, there will always be multiple perspectives about how people view others, and I believe that this is indeed true. The intriguing stories in ‘An Anthropologist from Mars’ has indeed shown the relations that individuals tend to have with themselves, with other people and the environment. I am quite aware on the importance of having my unique identity so that people do not judge me harshly, yet they do not know me. Furthermore, individuals who are living with disability can live normal lives if they receive assistance from people close to them. In addition, mental illness can be treated using the right approach and thus no need to view people with such conditions as being abnormal. I am aware there are many views on identity, and they and they have all increased my knowledge on the topic.
Works Cited
Sacks, Oliver and Wasserman Robert. The Case of the Colorblind Painter. New York, NY: The New York Review of Books, 1987. Print.
Sacks, Oliver. An Anthropologist on Mars Seven Paradoxical tales. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf Inc., 1995. Print.
Gregory, R. The Intelligent Eye. New York, NY: Mc Graw Hill, 1971. Print.
