Dear Vishal and others: I am a big fan of Paulo Coelho, having read most of his books like 'The Alchemist', 'Veronica decides to die', 'By the river piedra, I sat down and wept,' 'The Pilgrimage,' 'Zaheer' etc. He has this art of talking about things spiritual, without actually making the reader realise that he is doing so.
However, after reading this article, I am a bit disappointed with Paulo, because, he seems to be totally ignorant about blind people and their abilities (or he is at least pretending for the sake of convincing the readers about the abilities of VI). If you ask me, I am not at all surprised about Eric's feat, because as Paulo has agreed in the article, it's the question of what you exactly want to achieve in life. I read about Eric a few years back and found his story motivating. Yes, it's motivating, but not surprising, at least to those who are blind, like you and me, because we never doubted our abilities, only that we needed direction, guidance and a bit of counseling from others to accomplish our goals. To feel surprised about Eric's achievement is like thinking that he has done some magic --like pulling out a rabit from his hat. But the real tribute to Eric is to understand that motivation can lead us even to Mt. Everest, irrespective of who or what you are (disabled or otherwise). Sorry, this is my opinion. Subramani -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Vishal M Jain Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2006 3:44 PM To: accessindia Subject: [AI] blind man climbed Mount Everest *********************** No virus was detected in the attachment no filename Your mail has been scanned by InterScan MSS. *********************** *Good article by Paulo Coelho, the present generation greatest writer* ------------ Little by little we seem to grow used to the same metaphors for life. Some time ago I wrote in the blog column in the "Manual for climbing mountains", and out of the blue I meet a reader in Hamburg who decides to share his experience with me about climbing in life. He discovered what hotel I am in, and has some criticism to make of my page in the Internet. After making some harsh comments, he asks: "Can a blind man climb Mount Everest?" "I don't think so," I answer. "Why don't you answer 'perhaps'?" I am almost certain that I am in the company of a "compulsive optimist." One thing is the whole universe conspiring for our dreams to become true, quite another is to place yourself in front of absolutely unnecessary challenges, which can lead to death or unpredictable failure. I explain that I have to leave for an appointment, but the reader does not give up. "The blind can climb Everest, the highest mountain in the world (8,848 meters). Not only can they do it, but I happen to know of at least one blind person who did it. His name is Erik Weihenmayer. Can your appointment wait?" Since he gave me a name, there could an interesting story here. My appointment can wait, of course. "In 2001, Weihenmayer managed the feat. Meanwhile, people complain that they cannot afford a better car, more elegant clothes, and a salary that matches their abilities." "Are you sure?" "Look it up in the Internet. But what fascinates me is that Weihenmayer knew exactly what he wanted: he changed his life into what he thought it should be. He had the courage to risk everything to have the universe conspire in his favor." I agree. The reader goes on, as if my attitude is no longer of any interest to him: "If you know what you want in life, then you have all you need to manage to make your dream come true. Didn't you yourself say that?" Of course. But there are limits, such as blind people climbing the highest mountain on earth. "And if people have no dreams, what are they supposed to do?" "Think about something that they would like to be doing, and then take the first step," I answer. "Without being afraid of making a mistake. Without fear of offending those who 'worry' about their behavior." "That's it!" said the reader, for the first time identifying my ideas clearly. "So we realize that to reach what we want we have to run risks. Don't you say that in your books?" Not only do I say it, but I also try to keep my word. But we are interrupted in our conversation; it is time for the appointment that has brought me to Hamburg. I thank him for his attention, ask him to send me suggestions for my page on the Internet, we then say goodbye. At three o'clock in the morning, returning from that event, I reach into my pocket for the key to my room and discover the piece of paper where he had jotted down the blind man's name. Even knowing that I have to travel to Cairo in a couple of hours, I turn on the computer, and there it is: "On 25 May 2001, at the age of 32, Erik Weihenmayer became the first blind person to reach the top of the highest mountain in the world. A former high-school teacher, he received the ESPN and IDEA prize for his courage in overcoming the limits that his physical condition permitted. Besides Everest, Erik Weihenmayer has climbed the other seven highest mountains in the world, including Aconcagua in Argentina and Kilimanjaro in Tanzania". If you don't believe it, look it up. -------------- Here are some interesting links: http://www.touchthetop.com/press/index.htm Regards, Vishal Jain Ph : 080-41140564 Website : http://vishal.hello.googlepages.com To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.i n To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
