Aron Ralston gained fame in 2003 after he became pinned by a half-ton boulder in a Utah canyoneering accident. Having told no one where he was going and no one around to hear his cries for help, he remains trapped alone in the canyon for nearly a week! With very limited food and water and no one coming to rescue him, Ralston struggles to keep his sanity and even documents a final goodbye to his family on a digital video camera he had been carrying. Realizing the inevitable, Ralston is forced to choose between his limb or his life!
Ralston choses life, surviving by amputating his own hand with a dull pocket knife! Without the luxury of pain meds, he breaks both bones in his arm and then saws away for over an hour at his hand - cutting through tendons, ligaments and muscle. Once freed, he then rappels 65 feet and hikes 7 miles to rescue.
Carnegie Mellon University alumnus Aron Ralston's incredible story has been, and continues to be, an inspiration to millions around the world. And because his tale is so remarkable, he's been asked to be the speaker at CMU's Commencement this May. His heroic story is also the subject of the film "127 Hours," starring James Franco. And of course the movie is based on Ralston's 2004 New York Times bestselling autobiography (appropriately titled), "Between A Rock and A Hard Place."
Just 27-years-old at the time, Aron Ralston's life would forever change in those 127 hours. And his reflection in those 127 hours would forever change the way I look at mine...
"You know, I’ve been thinking. Everything it...just comes together. It’s me. I chose this. I chose all this! This rock. This rock has been waiting for me my entire life. It’s entire life, ever since it was a bit of meteorite a million, billion years ago. In space. It’s been waiting, to come here. Right, right here. I’ve been moving towards it my entire life. The minute I was born, every breath that I’ve taken, every action has been leading me to this crack on the out surface."
Every person you've ever encountered.
Every decision you've ever made.
Every wince of pain you've ever felt.
Every struggle you've ever overcome.
Every tear you've ever shed.
It's all leading up to something. Something bigger than you can fathom. Something you currently may not feel prepared for and may fear. Perhaps something good. Perhaps something awful. Either way, something you've been moving towards your entire life. Something that will change you forever. Something that will make you believe you are here for a reason. That you serve a purpose on this Earth and you have a story to tell.
Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for the moment that is to come. For a story that has yet to be written.
No comments:
Post a Comment