I applaud the Olympic committee’s decision to allow Oscar Pistorius, a 21-year-old South African double-amputee sprinter, to compete for the Olympics. Slashdot has generously already provided all the pros and cons - documenting all the fears and expectations that will come of this decision of allowing Pistorius to compete.

Our bodies are not the end of our existence - they are the beginning and while we’ve received the fortunate benefits of evolutionary drive - Pistorius is an example of how and in what way we’re going to change ourselves - engineer ourselves - to become more of what we want to be.

Cries of unfair treatment exist on both sides of this call - one side says he’s a runner and should be allowed to compete, the other point out he’s not completely human. It’s a phenomenon of introducing change into the status quo.

Pistorius’ appendages are no different when you see obese or old people on electric go-carts, or when others perform wheelchair races. We must move forward, and moving forward requires people like Pistorius to not accept his body as a limitation, Olympic members to make decisions like the one above, and for all of us people to accept those who either by accident or design set themselves so far apart.

We are phenomenal minds and we should be allowed to live phenomenal ways.