Articles
Thought Life was
tough?
I
came across an article in the Sydney Morning Herald a few weeks
ago. It was about this American guy by the name of Jim Maclaren.
At
the age of 22 with the World at his feet he was traveling along
Fifth Avenue in New York City and was struck by a bus. After 8
days in a coma he awoke to find his left leg amputated below the
knee.
After he recovered from the accident he took up running with the
aid of a prosthesis and completed the New York and Boston
Marathons in a tad over 3hrs. He also completed the Hawaii
Ironman.
In
June 1993 he was competing in an Ironman in California when a
policeman waved a car across Jim's path whilst he was on his
bike. The car took Jim out and he ended up a quadriplegic at the
age of 30.
The
story finished off with Jim stating the following about what he
had learnt from all of this injustice.
"Whenever I find myself frustrated with my handicap or looking
at envy at an able-bodied man, I ask myself this: If I could get
out of this wheelchair right now and walk across the room, would
that really get me to the place I most want to go with my life?
Because let's be honest here - the other side of this room is
not my ultimate destination. My ultimate destination is
self-knowledge and enlightenment. Do I have to get there on
foot? Or can I find some other path."
So
why do I share this story with you all. Well, that's up to you
to interpret. Life is short though.
Pat
Carroll
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