Our History and the Future For Us

Do you ever feel alone or different, having limitations because of epilepsy? In real life, all people have a limitation of something that they are unable to do or not do well with, whatever it may be.

In other words, there is no such thing as being alone and different. All people are the same and have similarities, have different strengths and weaknesses, as well as having a reason to be here.

A history of misunderstanding and discovery

Ep-il-lep-sy comes from the Greek word epilambanein, which means "to be seized" or "to be overwhelmed by surprise," but do not be shocked by how long seizures are known about correctly. We must get to our victories and outside and fight epilepsy as the Greeks and others fought in the past. Remember, it is no longer considered to be contagious because of demons, witchcraft, or a sacred disease, but from all historical research throughout the years, it was discovered to be medical. ¹

The oldest writing about epilepsy is in the Babylonian medical text Sakikku, which dates back to around 1050 BC. The text's English translation is "All Diseases". French researchers in the 1800s made many important discoveries and identified different kinds of seizures.^2,4

Life may be a short word, but it has many different meanings. One goal is not just to live but to live a good, meaningful, and happy life. Suffering is a part of life.

Socrates believed that recognizing one’s uniqueness—and how it can be misunderstood—can create a gap that hinders true connection between people. I get that now.

Something similar happened to me during my fall term in 2023. I mentioned having epilepsy in class, and my professor occasionally used it as an example. Students misunderstood, and I often found myself answering their questions or having to explain things to them.

There were two main types of Roman soldiers: legionaries and auxiliaries. The legionaries were the elite (very best) soldiers. Not all of them need to be legionaries.²

Finding strength in our battles

In real life, not every person becomes a legionnaire, and not every person in general can do so. In other words, we should not feel ashamed or embarrassed; we have a different position concerning why we are here.

Restrictions can indeed happen the same way they did during the Roman military. The person had to be outstandingly rigorous, tall enough, male, and 17 to 46, but if a person was a lower-class citizen or plebeian, they had little say in the government but were still citizens.

Fyodor Dostoevsky once said, "One must really be a great man to be able to make a stand even against common sense." Reflect on your own strength, wisdom, and the legacy you want to leave behind. Consider how far you can go in life and the impact you can make. Speaking the truth is one of the hardest things in the world, while flattery comes easily. Dostoevsky, the Russian author of Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, and The Idiot, often included his personal experiences with temporal lobe epilepsy in his writing.³

Epilepsy, like any challenge, does not define a person’s worth or potential. History shows that understanding grows over time, and so does our ability to overcome obstacles. Whether on the battlefield, in the classroom, or in everyday life, strength comes in many forms. Embrace your uniqueness, stand with confidence, and keep moving forward because your journey matters.