Surviving catastrophic events has been the subject matter taught by chemical engineer John Murphy throughout his extensive career as a risk analyst, consultant, and international lecturer.
While working as a risk analyst for several major chemical companies, John often helped companies survive black swan events. Black swan is a term first used by Greek philosopher, Aristotle, and are defined as rare and unpredictable catastrophic events. Nassim Taleb, a risk analyst and mathematical statistician expanded the definition to include three attributes: it lies outside the realm of regular expectations; it carries an extreme impact; and, in spite of its outlier status, human nature leads us to concoct explanations.
While often there is great uncertainty in our ability to predict the likelihood of a catastrophic event, what John learned throughout his chemical safety career and later with his personal experience of a Parkinson’s disease diagnose, is that surviving the “black swan,” can reveal opportunities.
In 2000, at the age of 54 and while working as a chemical accident investigator in San Antonio, John noticed a tremor in his left arm. Initially, his doctor told him to wait and see if it progressed, but when John relocated to Maryland, he was re-evaluated by a neurologist who diagnosed him with Parkinson’s disease. All black swans result in change, and the Parkinson’s diagnosis created a change in John’s lifestyle which included a daily regimen of medications and exercise and included a focus on maintaining speech clarity which was so essential to his role as an international consultant and lecturer.
In an article published in 2016, John stated: “This black swan was an opportunity to reflect upon and appreciate the life I have and to take advantage of the skills I have developed over the years. I have learned to live one day at a time as I contribute toward improving process safety and enjoying my life as well.”[i]
Although black swan events are rare, they may occur with a similar frequency in most people’s lives, bringing about change and a demand for adaptation. If Parkinson’s has been the black swan in your life, John has a few suggestions for how to live well with PD:
- First, recognize warning signs of physical symptoms and take action (i.e. request a referral to a movement disorders neurologist).
- Accept the new normal and adjust your lifestyle.
- Take medications on schedule and exercise.
Finally, John stated: “voice exercises are a part of my life routine and have improved my enjoyment in life.”
John lives with his wife in Punta Gorda, Florida and participates weekly in an after-therapy online speech class. If you would like to contact John, email: hamjfm@embarqmail.com
[i] Surviving the Black Swan, Strategies for Process Safety Specialists, and Companies to Survive Unpredicted Catastrophic Events. Murphy, John F. Process Safety Progress (Vol.35, No.1)
Black swan image: marvin- rozendal SB17zLG8vYg-unsplash
Do You Have a Swallowing Problem?
Voice Aerobics private practice provides clinical and instrumental swallowing assessments in conjunction with Swallowing Diagnostics, Inc., a Mobile company serving SouthEast and SouthWest Florida. Email or call us to schedule an appointment: info@voiceaerobicsdvd.com
Visit:https://voiceaerobicsdvd.com/
My Mission: To enlist individuals in their treatment, and help them express their personality & spirit through voice. To educate and empower. Mary Spremulli, MA, CCC-SLP * Voice Aerobics® A Whole Body Approach to Voice Practice* Certified End of Life Specialist Training (CEOLS) * FiTOUR® Group Exercise Instructor