A child was born. Generally, an occasion of happiness and joy, it was not. The baby boy was born without natural ears. To be born normal is a gift indeed but often taken for granted by many. But here, the lack of that gift was clearly visible. When the doctor was pressed for his opinion about the future he saw for the child, he said, “The baby will probably NEVER HEAR and consequently NEVER SPEAK”. Now then, before we go on to blurt that the doctor was an inconsiderate villain, he was speaking only on the lines that his trade suggested him. It was expertise based on the signs that he saw and was acting according to the evidence that suggested so.
It was easy and probably logical for the most to accede to such expertise. But with a mad desire of the baby boy’s father, Napoleon had an ‘unwarranted’ belief, that nature could send him a son without natural ears, but nature couldn’t convince him to believe that it was a disability. He challenged the doctor, he had the right to do so. “Not only would my son hear and speak but also he would be an individual who would edge out the ‘normal’ humans out there”, he believed. He believed there was a way but he didn’t know ‘how’. He had read somewhere like many of us have, “Limitations are set only in the mind” but he wasn’t sure what it really meant.
Indeed, the reality was that a child without natural ears was a disability. It was as if opening a bank account with a negative balance or start a football match with 5 goals against your team. Napoleon was completely clueless so as to where should he begin with. But there was one thing he was sure about, he needed to convey into his child that HE WILL HEAR AND SPEAK! As days passed on, Napoleon did notice that his son had a slight degree of hearing. By the time when a normal child speaks, he didn’t but he did show various reactions on loud and particular noises. A positive sign it was but nonetheless; time was passing and doctor’s words were turning out to be true.
Frustrated, but still hoping that he will definitely find the answer to ‘How’. Napoleon finally got a breakthrough. He had recently bought a Victrola (phonograph) and played a couple of songs. Suddenly, this little boy went into a trance of happiness never seen before. He used to pay keen attention to the records by clamping his teeth on the case of the Victrola. He didn’t mind standing hours doing it because he was much happier than tired. It was possible due to a phenomenon called ‘Bone Conduction’. Bone conduction is the conduction of sound to the inner ear through the bones of the skull. It was at the same time Napoleon discovered that his son responded much better whenever he spoke touching his lips to the portion of the skull just above his ears.
It was just the break he needed! Napoleon started conversing more and more with his child. Bedtime stories, philosophy, the values of self-reliance and essence of a strong belief, all topics less likely to be introduced to a normal kid, but then he wasn’t a ‘normal’ right? Months passed on, the young boy was listening. As he grew enough to be admitted to the school; the law and the school authorities wouldn’t allow him to attend a regular school. They advocated that the child should be admitted to a special school so that he can learn ‘Sign Language’ for a ‘better’ future. But Napoleon had a firm resolve that “My son won’t learn sign language!” and often ran into trouble with the law authorities.
When the young boy was 7, he wanted to sell newspapers like other boys in his vicinity. But his mother wouldn’t allow him because she feared that the street wasn’t the safest place for a deaf child. However, something had changed. The boy would ask for permission and when denied, wouldn’t complain; quite unlike a boy of his age who would complain and cry. One fine day, in the afternoon, while the boy was sleeping, his mom found some cents clenched in his fist. It was clearly evident that he was selling the newspapers. Mother cried with pain, but the father cried with joy! All those years of philosophical talks and talks of self-reliance weren’t going in vain. It was the first of many victories for him as the boy had confidently taken an initiative.
The boy had a tough time in school. He was able to hear only when teachers shouted at the top of their voices. Thereafter he tried a piece of electric equipment that promised to enhance his listening abilities but it didn’t help. He had to complete his entire school listening only to the tiny bursts of voices when the teachers or his classmates yelled. All this was to change when he entered college. At the age of eighteen another device with similar promise popped up, but he wasn’t really anxious this time. Calmly he put on the device and lo! He heard like a normal person for the first time!
Overjoyed, the boy rushed to the telephone and called his mom. Hearing her voice clearly was a treat for him. He started attending lectures only because he wanted to hear more and more irrespective of the topic! He was so amused by the listening equipment, that he wrote an emotional letter to the head of the manufacturing company. The company’s management panel was delighted and sent him an invitation for a chat. It moved the boy so much that he chose to devote his entire life to the empowerment of the deaf-mute!
Perhaps it was the invention that made him hear. It was no magic. Magic was the day in & day out the persistent struggle of a mad father with a burning desire that his son will speak. When normal children wanted something; they cried. But not this boy. He was taught only the way of self-reliance to get what he wanted. Common sense and logic suggested that it was a better option to let him learn sign language. But the problem was not that of the sign language to Napoleon Hill, it was the feeling of being in agreement with the idea of BEING DISABLED.
At some point in our lives, we tend to blame on the things that we don’t have. But maybe being different, poor, handicapped or victim of unfairness is a GIFT waiting to be turned into ASSETS! The father’s iron will didn’t grow his son new hearing muscles but it made him convince his child’s mind to convert his LIABILITY into an ASSET!
Nice one😊!
Thank you! 🙂