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While having an [interesting conversation](https://peakd.com/hive-126152/@heruvim1978/scxbdt) with @heruvim1978, I was reminded of something that I am often reminded of - *don't compare myself to the normal.* It is of course natural to make comparisons, but these days, it has become far more "dangerous" to compare to what we might consider normal, because *normal isn't necessarily good.* 


![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/243MJC5YbT2gvaLp9mw82FmjJ3T5PNb2dpdbSH83c4GEdnovNvU2i3Rb3doQRChNg3ZiG.png)


The conversation started long ago, and it has continued in bits and pieces over the months. It is about the way my brain works (or doesn't work) when it comes to my ability to visualize. I am not going to go into all the details here, but essentially the "automation" part of visualization is not functioning. Automation for many cognitive functions lays in the cerebellum, a very old part of the brain, often called the lizard brain. It is among the first pieces to have developed. 

Anyway, what was cited and is often cited, are the stories about neuroplasticity, where for instance, someone loses part of their brain and other parts learn to pick up the slack. There are plenty of instances of this, but people should be careful in their understanding of how far it can go and what is achievable. Just because the brain can reorganize to return some aspects that might have been lost, like speech, it doesn't mean that it will return to the same level, nor does it mean that all of the lost functions return. 

We have to be careful when we hear things like "they can live a normal life" because *normal* is very subjective. Just because someone can have a shower, tie their shoelaces and cook dinner, it doesn't mean that they are all okay. Just because they aren't drooling in the corner, are working smoothly, and are able to laugh, it doesn't mean that a person is able to do what they could before at the level they need to do it. 

For instance, a couple months after I had a stroke, I went through four hours of cognitive testing with a clinical psychologist, with the intention to work out what next steps were and what they would provide for support. 

> They could provide nothing.

The reason is that while I was mostly disconnected like in a partial out of body experience, could barely function and was struggling to think clearly, I tested "average or above" whatever *normal* they were using, so that they *weren't allowed* to do anything for me. The psychologist said they would spend endless amounts to teach a person how to feed themselves again, but nothing at the higher end of the cognitive spectrum. 

And, herein lays the problem, because what is "normal" for one person isn't going to be normal for all people. So, while it is great that someone can learn to eat again, or learn how to tie their shoelaces by using a different part of their brain, it doesn't mean they can just slot themselves back into life. 

Over the last few years, I have heard a lot of people tell me some amazing stories about people who have been able to return to "normal" life after some horrendous events. But, there is something interesting to note here, and that is that some of these stories are often talking about the same person, and that these people are outliers. The fact is, *most people* don't get anywhere near their previous functions back, even if they are able to live a relatively normal life considering the trauma. And, it *isn't their fault* for not trying hard enough, as that blame is like blaming someone for not working hard enough to grow an arm back after it is amputated in an accident.

While it is possible to learn to eat and do activities with one hand, it doesn't mean that all activities are possible with one hand. And a stroke is essentially an amputation of part of the brain. While it is possible to move some functions of a lost piece to another part of the brain, some parts of the brain are pretty unique it seems, and the chances of other parts learning or connecting in the right way, are slim to now. According to some stories, it is also possible to have some trauma and wake up speaking a foreign language perfectly - are you willing to smash yourself on the head with a hammer, assuming this will happen to you?

> Normal is not a good indicator of health.

For instance, the average IQ is 100 (by definition) and the first standard deviation, so about 68& of people lay between 85 and 115. Being at 115 doesn't make someone even bright, just average, but they are far brighter than someone at 85 - yet both are "normal". And then, if for instance someone was performing tasks that required 140 IQ, someone with an above average 120 IQ wouldn't be able to perform the same tasks. And if that 140 IQ person was to have some incident that dropped their IQ to 120, they would still be considered above averagely bright, but wouldn't be able to do the tasks they did before. 

>The average person is poor, overweight and is opinionated, but doesn't have the ability to fix much in their lives. They are employees, not bosses, they hold relatively basic jobs that don't require high intelligence, and they are likely a bit unhappy in their lives, or want more than they currently have. 

*This is pretty normal, isn't it?*

So when saying that a person can live a normal life, is it the normal life based o the averages of everyone, or is it *their normal* life? If a person lived in extreme poverty and illness and was transferred to a normal life, they would likely be pretty ecstatic. But, if a person was living a life in extreme wealth and health at the other end and was transported to the same normal, they likely wouldn't be quite as glad.

There is nothing wrong with living a normal life, but we should be careful when we define the lives of others based on what we consider an average life, or even a good life. Because a good life for one, is a disaster for another. 

Having said this, the brain is amazing and can do all kinds of things far better than we are currently doing them, and we are continually learning more about how it works. But, a lot of it is still unexplored and why it works the way it does isn't always known. We know that we can exercise it and improve parts of it, but that doesn't mean that there is endless growth potential, or that any trauma can be corrected. It is far more complex than that, and so much of it lays outside of what we know. Some people get lucky, some are extremely unlucky with the outcomes they get from their brain, or from their life.

>It all averages out to a normal. 

The average normal doesn't help an individual though.


Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]


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