Building shift.stream

I saw an awe inspiring dancer at an event in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was unknown to me at the time. He danced in the company of other great dancers, but he was exceptional, with fierce purpose and intensity in his movements. He used a mechanical crutch which moved as a part of him. It did not appear to be a movement aid, but rather an integrated part of his dance movement over which he had full control. He had lost one leg, and this did not impede his ability for gravity defiance, but seemed to enable it. Seeing him dance was a very moving moment in my life. I had to find out more about him, and to learn how he became such a beautiful performer. Musa Motha went on to become a global superstar.

At the intersection of some of our unique dimensions as individuals lies a region of potential overlap with others. The building of a community allows the overlap to find others: to collide with minds with similar interests, afflictions, or purpose.

Community enables these collisions. While attending Singularity University Summits talking about some of my personal stories, I met some extraordinary people from a variety of walks of life, all of whom came together for a common purpose to use technology for the betterment of humanity.

Some of the people I had met had overcome substantial affliction and difficulty in their lives. I admired the remarkable people they are today. I saw some unique qualities and attributes in them. I started to notice that some of these people had become the version of themselves because of their unique circumstances, and the fact that they were able to rise to the occasion. They had forged themselves, through their adversity, into giants of our society.

I realise that we each have our own unique stories, challenges: the light incident on us in our lives is entirely unique. Our most unusual attributes are what make us most interesting. In society, there is some motivation to hide these. I was seeing people who had embraced unusual circumstances to create their present selves. I realise their biggest challenges had become their biggest advantages.

People became despondent about their futures as we moved into the difficult times brought about by the 2019 pandemic. I became motivated to showcase some of the stories of people who had been through extraordinarily difficult times, but had become the best version of themselves because of these. I wanted to tell people that even though times were difficult, they could be optimistic about their futures. Not just because it'd be alright, but because these difficult and challenging times could enable them to become better versions of themselves.

This idea that people could become the best versions of themselves through adversity was particularly motivating to and resonant with me, as I had my own substantial medical challenges while growing up, and this had directly resulted in my becoming my present self. I decided in the midst of the pandemic to build a collection of stories, a community, around the idea that we could forge ourselves extraordinarily through adversity. The shift.stream interview series was born, and I began to seek out individuals who were doing unusual and incredible things from their potentially devastating stories. Phoenix stories.

Godfrey Nazareth gives inspiring and moving keynote talks, through his technologically enabled assistive device which produces his powerful voice. Tilly Lockey is an individual movement: she's augmented through her robotic arms, and is inspiring her generation. Matt Eagles leverages his brain implant which keeps his Parkinson's Disease under management to go out and advocate for the rights of other patients (and is a part time dare devil). Benji Rosman became a professor of computer science at 34, partially due to his exceptional aptitude, and partially due to the fact he had a stroke while being born which developed his capacity for this work. Vivienne Ming was suicidal, and had a turning point in her life, after which she went on to build and give away technological breakthroughs from her lab for the benefit of our species.

His name was unknown to me at the time, but through the dance company who performed that day, I was able to get in touch with Musa Motha. I interviewed him as the first shift.stream interview, and learned a great deal in the process. I went on to interview other wonderful human beings, and I am still doing so at present. I want this community to be inspiring, uplifting, and let people know that at some point, their darkest times may be their greatest moment to advance.