In today's society nothing seems impossible and everyday there are incredible people who do incredible
things. This is obvious simply by looking at the real life stories of
Erik Weihenmayer from “Blindly He Goes Up” by Steve Rushin and
uncle Jim from the story “Versabraille” by Bill Schermbrucker.
Both people blind as night but who still manage to accomplish
anything from everyday tasks to extraordinary feats even to people
who still have their vision. Erik Weihenmayer makes the impossible
possible by being the first blind man to ever climb mount Everest,
where Uncle Jim blindly works his way across his town of Tulbagh at
the young age of 7. Both extraordinary people who both faced extreme
challenges.
What is there to say about Erik
Weihenmayer that hasn't already been said? In the year 2001 he became
the first blind man not only to attempt to climb mount Everest but to
also succeed in his journey up this 29,035 foot peak. In 1991 he
managed to graduate from from Boston College with a degree in English
and became a teacher soon after. Erik is not only an incredible man
but also an inspiration to thousands of other handicapped and able
bodied individuals. Even though Erik is handicapped he doesn’t think of
himself that way using a sense of humor to pronounce his optimistic
outlook on life saying “you should have heard the view from up
there” speaking about the peak of Everest. One of Erik's most famous sayings is
“because were here”. He says this to show us all that we must
make the most of what we have because we are only on this earth for
so long then we are gone like dust in the wind. What Erik has done sets a new standard for people around the world. Erik has shown the world that all it takes to accomplish life goals is to have courage, optimism, and a sense of determination.
The short story “Versabraille” by
Bill Schermbrucker tells the story of an African born Canadian
returning to Africa to hear the stories of his blind uncle Jim's
life. Uncle Jim may not have been born blind but says so himself that
he “cannot remember seeing things”. When uncle Jim was only 7
years old he managed, with no vision at all, to travel all the way
across town to pick up some tobacco for his father. Even though he
was very young he was also very determined and faced his fears with
pride that as to be admired. The fact that as a blind boy at the age
of seven he even dared to venture so far from his home shows that he
has an insurmountable amount of courage and deserves to be commended
for that fact alone. The only goal Uncle Jim had in mind was to make
his father proud of his actions and so he “marches slowly,
determinedly across the road”. Making it home was not just worth
the tobacco but rather a life lesson for Jim, one that he would never
forget. This taught Jim that he had the ability to do what he wanted
with his life and nobody could stop him.
Although Uncle Jim's and Erik
Weihenmayer's journeys were very different and on very different
scales they both hold a few things in common. Both Erik and Jim have
a sense of determination that leads them to achieving their goals.
Without this profound determination they would never be able to
accomplish what they want in their lives. Now being blind can be
somewhat of a soul crushing thought but both Erik and Jim have
accepted it as somewhat of a gift teaching them that they do have
self worth and teaching others that they can accomplish their goals
if they simply put their minds to it. Climbing Everest and crossing a
street may be on polar ends of a spectrum of one another but to
someone with no vision whatsoever crossing a street could manage to
be a dangerous affair. It took Jim a certain amount of courage to
drown out the thoughts of danger and take those first few steps out
onto the street. Erik had to suffer much of the same fate when he
would have to cross large ravines using only a ladder and his
surefooted ability. Many people do not have what it takes to do what
these men have done and drown out all thought of fear to accomplish
their goals. But their optimistic attitudes emanate and can truly motivate people to have an optimistic outlook on life.
