Daniel Tammet on "Born on a Blue Day"
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03.02.2008
Daniel Tammet is an autistic savant and the author of "Born on a Blue Day." He loves numbers, can do calculations in his head into the millions, and can recite pi to more than 22,000 digits. But he has trouble telling right from left and looking people in the eye. Tammet talks with Anne Strainchamps about life on the autistic spectrum and how he sees numbers.
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Autism + Asperger's Syndrome
A l o h a ! To the interested persons -
As a prodigy-labeled child it quickly became apaparent that always having the answers to the questions asked in a classroom did not endear me to the other members of the group. This did not sit well because of the inability to comprehend the actions, let alone the feelings fueling the need to undertake those acts, and contributed to a futility which overshadowed all future contacts with people. An aloofness not feigned was interpreted by many to be a way to elevate myself to a station above the others when, in actuality, it was a defensive manner designed to avoid contact. The opposite reaction was produced, much to my chagrin, so served the further purpose of alienating me even further.
This incomprehensibleness has dimmed somewhat now (at 58 years since birth) yet the permanent estrangement from the mass of humanity has given me a keen sense of injustice and compassion for those who have been violated - a blessing. Odd is what I am but my catchphrase of an apologetic nature is contained in the old 'Popeye, the Sailorman' quote:
"I yam what I yam, and that's all what I yam. I'm Popeye, the sailorman (toot-toot)."
Much of what Daniel talks about rings true in my life as a polymath in transit.
- p a g e , pr7@hawaii.edu
Sept. 25, 2011
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