Miracle/Talent

Tonight I heard the newly approved vaccine for COVID-19 described as a “medical miracle.”

It’s not a miracle; it’s the result of millions of dollars in research, tens of thousands of minds working together and pursuing the results of years of study and discovery. It came mind-bogglingly fast, (the previous record for vaccine development was 4 years, I learned this week) but it’s not a miracle.

In the same way, it’s neither a miracle or talent when the tenor hits the high B-flat, when a violinist nails an impossibly difficult cadenza, or when Keith Jarrett delivers a thrilling improvised solo concert. It’s not talent or a miracle when Usain Bolt breaks the 100m sprint record or when Wayne Gretzky gets a 90-goal season.

It’s not a miracle and it’s not just talent. These achievements are the result of years of meticulous, deliberate work. They’re the outcome of passion, perseverance, and favorable circumstances.

If a five-year-old handed her researcher mother a mushroom and it contained a cure for COVID-19, that would be a medical miracle. Reducing the work and passion of any professional to “miracle” or “talent” is massively oversimplifying and dismissive of those individuals who did the work.