Sunday, December 9, 2012

World Change Warriors


Spencer West

Last night, as I was busy readying some packages for the mail, I had on one of our intelligent Canadian TV networks. The show was W5, which always presents interesting material. This one blew my doors off.

Meet Spencer West, born with a genetic condition which did not allow his legs to develop. He tried prosthetics and hated them and finally had his stumps removed at age 5.  He says that is when he first experienced freedom and No Limits.

You know how much I love people who transcend their difficulties. Well, listen to this. Spencer is now a motivational speaker: he talks to teens about bullying, to people all over the world about overcoming obstacles. He is part of  Canadians Craig and Marc Kielberger's Me to We movement, which inspires young people to help change the world. (Craig built his first well in Africa at the age of twelve and has worked to abolish child slavery ever since.) He's involved also with Craig and Marc's Free the Children, and helped build  schools for kids in Kenya and India. (One  child hugged him, then said, "I didn't know white people had these problems too.")

Spencer has written a book called Standing Tall. And he does.



He was filmed climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, where he built a cairn along the way, to mark the path and show people which way to go. That night, he said, "Now I know why I am here. I am a cairn, for others who have lost their way."

He says, "The world needs you. 
There is no can't. 
There is no won't. 
There is only How?"

He says, "My goal is to re-define Possible."
I think he already has.

Watch this, and prepare to fall in love.

6 comments:

  1. A Ted's talk favorite, I showed this--or another like it--to my (ex) students to write about.

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  2. I've seen this guy before. He is amazing and such an inspiration.

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  3. He really IS an inspiration in the way he has overcome adversity.

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  4. i hate inspirational stories. i really do. some days, i can't even manage to do the dishes, and some guy is climbing everest on his hands or something.

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  5. How amazing he is. Blessings to him. Thanks for sharing this, I had never heard or seen him before.

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  6. I have read about him..he is amazing....thanks for sharing Sherry ~

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