No Obstacle too Great
Today we celebrate a woman who overcame incredible challenges to become a true inspiration to countless millions around the world.
Helen Keller was born a normal, healthy infant on June 27, 1880. But at the age of just 19 months, she became sick with ‘brain fever,’ later to be diagnosed as either Scarlett Fever or meningitis. Despite her doctor’s prediction that Helen would not survive, she did, but at the cost of her hearing and sight.
In a silent and dark world, Helen experienced emotional turmoil over her inability to communicate effectively with others. But she did not let this destroy her. This young girl’s brave and determined spirit led her instead to overcome her disabilities.
While her family did the best they could, they realized Helen needed more advanced help. Along came Alexander Graham Bell, known mostly for the invention of the telephone, but also for his work with the deaf. He suggested her family contact the Perkins Institute of the Blind. This would lead Helen to Anne Sullivan, the most influential ‘angel’ in her life. Anne herself was a partially blind recent graduate of the institute. With an immense amount of patience and dedication, Anne was able to develop a way of communicating with Helen by using sign language on the palm of her hand. The first word Helen learned was ‘water’. She would later say: ‘That living word awakened my soul.’
From the miracle of her first spoken word, Helen developed an insatiable thirst for knowledge that would lead her to incredible feats of earning an undergraduate degree and publishing 15 books, one of which is her autobiography – The Story of My Life – now considered one of the 100 most important books of the 20th century. She went on to help many other deaf and blind people in her life – and to become an inspiration for countless others.
While his struggle was not physical, Adam, in Adam in Taoland also overcame incredible odds to escape from his AI controlled homeland in hopes of a leading a fulfilled life elsewhere. Along his path, he meets several of his own ‘angels’, both human and from above, who help guide him to discovering true selfless purpose in Taoland.
Just as Anne Sullivan unlocked the hidden genius in Helen Keller, Adam’s ‘angels’ unleashed the hidden hero in Adam. And just like Helen, Adam went on to achieve great things and give back to the universe. In Book II, Homeland Rescued, Adam returns to Novana with his wife Tariana, and leads others to reject their subjugation to Artificial Intelligence – and choose liberty and self-determination instead.
We hope the stories of Helen Keller and also our hero, Adam, inspire others to reject despair and emptiness – overcome whatever obstacles they face – and discover true meaning in their lives – and serve as guiding lights for others searching for purpose.
