“Rain Man” dies
One of the most popular movies in the 1980′s was “Rain Man” in which Dustin Hoffman plays an autistic man who had amazing mental abilities. The man Hoffman’s character was based on, Kim Peek, recently died at the age of 58.
Although mentally disabled in some ways, Peek’s mind could do things that were simply unbelievable. For example, you could name a date, any date, and he could tell you the day of the week it fell on and what happened that day in history
Peek and others like him remind us of two things:
1) We only have a very limited understanding of how the human brain works.
2) All of God’s creatures, no matter their disabilities, are amazing works of the Lord that should always inspire a sense of awe and wonder.
As our culture works to eradicate the non-perfect from our world, we should remember the joy and wonder that people like Peek bring to it.
Here are some videos about the real-life “Rain Man”:
Pray for Peek and Peek’s father, who cared for him throughout his life.
I watched all 5 of these, one after another, transfixed. What an astonishing combination of ability and disability!
Often when I see something “wrong” with a mind or a body, I am struck by the miracle that, as a rule, our minds and bodies function so well. The way we process information is just one miracle. And although Kim’s way of processing was vastly different from mine, his memory was far, far beyond anything I’ll ever be able to achieve.
As to his father, his devotion, love, and patience is humbling. May God grant him peace, purpose, and happiness.