Daily Lesson from Life 11 March 2009

No worthy news headline to share and comment upon. So I will comment on a 'limbless' man that inspired!

I received the video clip of a limbless man speaking to a class of young Aussies, I believed, from a friend in Thailand. The email titled: You must watch this! It is about: "The Strength to Get Up! Are you going to finish strong?"

It started with him playing a percussion instrument mimicking funny things and brought a few laughter from the young audience of school children, probably secondary school.

Then he roll down onto the stage where he sat. He looked up and asked: it will be easy enough for normal people to get up after they fall. However, with a man with no hands and legs, how is he going to get up again? Eyes transfixed. The audience clearly became a bit uneasy. How is he going to get up??

He said: I will have to try. I will have to try a hundred times maybe. BUT if I give up, I will NEVER be able to get up since I have no limbs! By now, tears welled in some of the young audience. I too, had tears in my eyes!

Finally, he said: This is how I get up. He put his head to a support and push against his neck to get his 'body trunk' back up! Then he said softly but firmly: 'This is how I get up. Do you have the strength to get up and finish strong?' He answered his own question: 'You will. You will have the strength to get up and finish strong. If you want to. If you want it bad enough!"

Lessons for me:

1. In this troubled time, many of us believed we are the unluckiest and unfortunate persons on earth. We may get frustrated and decided to give up. Here is a man who showed us that nothing is impossible if you keep at it. Keep positive and keep trying. He is an inspiration. The young audience, many with tears in their eyes, hugged him one by one in the closing shots of the video. Clearly, they have found inspiration in this man;

2. while those with disability and wanted to live a normal life usually has incredible courage and determination to make it, we also know that there are many who succumbed to the prejudice and pressure of 'living a not normal life'! Suffice to say, those who succumbed allowed others to determine their fates. It is understandable. They need positive reinforcement. They need understanding and patience and encouragement. It is already not easy. So, do be sensitive and be motivating when you meet such people. This will be a leadership behavior!;

3. I will share this video with many more friends whom I care about. Everyone who come across good content must share it. So that we get less of the trashy stuffs we normally get bombarded in the cyberspace!

I wish that gentleman all the best. I am sure he will live a full life without my concerns. Still I want him to know he has inspired me. Thank you.