Have you ever heard of the “Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius? This guy should get a gold medal for lack of whining. Today I was reading whitewhine.com, a site full of first world problems. One post included a girl complaining that not having a car for two weeks feels “worse than whatever is going on in Darfur.”
Another person complains about some lack of garlic, butter and bread crumbles or something above my impoverished mind. She complains about this while on her 22nd cruise. 22nd cruise. Yeah, on her 22nd cruise.
Sure, we all can complain at a little perceived discomfort. Or when the going gets tough. Have you ever complained that you didn’t have the energy to run? Or were too sore? Or that you have something wrong that prevents you from exercising? Those could be valid. But probably not as valid as being born with a bone defect that requires amputation below the knees for both of your legs. The dude was born WITHOUT fibulas.
But this is what Oscar Pistorius was born with–a big list of things to complain about and be afraid of.
What’s great about this guy is he can run faster than I will ever run. He’s more in shape than me, and he faces fears and challenges head on. They call Oscar Pistorius the “Blade Runner” because of the high tech “blades” he runs on. He’s literally the fastest person to ever run without legs.
In fact, during the 400-meter semi-final heat Oscar finished in 46.54 seconds. The Blade Runner was only .95 seconds behind the winner. Imagine—Oscar Pistorius was within 1 second of qualifying for the men’s 400-meter final at the London Olympics. And he doesn’t have legs!
The Blade Runner has some distinct disadvantages in the sport. His blades require him to start in a near upright position, making him the slowest off the blocks. This also makes him more prone to wind resistance. Oscar Pistorius won medals at three Paralympic Games, yet he faced incredible opposition that as a double-amputee his blades would give him an advantage for the able-bodied Olympics.
What’s most inspiring to me is that you can’t put this man down. Disadvantages. Pain. Inconvenience. Disapproval. A boat-load of ceaseless excuses. But he doesn’t excuse himself. He’s assumed what others have called “the dignity of risk.” Which the Blade Runner presents by facing adversity, rather than fairly saying “I can’t do that.”
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This guy is insane, definitely look up the video of him running the quarter finals, he is CRAZY fast
I’m searching for it right now, but all that comes up on youtube is poorly done still-photo montages!
I didn’t watch the quarter-final, but I read that he was a full second faster during that race.
wow that guy is really something.
Hope we can all learn from him.