Disabled, not UNable

 In any high school, you could tell who the cool kids were from the activities they partook in. Growing up in Eritrea, the cool kids were always active in debating. Might sound weird to some, considering how debating has been a bit of a geek-oriented endeavor but such was the culture of my native land. I remember during an intermission of one of these debate activities, people were being invited to share some poetry they had written. And from the sea of enthusiastic individuals stood a solitary young man. Now, the said young man was blind and needed help getting up on stage, but once he did and once he stood before the masses, both his voice and message spoke volumes. He read, aloud, a poem he had written. While the title of the poem eludes me to this day (which is understandable considering it was almost 15 years ago)the title still stuck with me, namely because he kept shouting it out....."I AM BLIND, BUT NOT MY MIND"!!! The poem was a tribute to all disabled individuals who refused to let their disabilities prevent them from leading a full and active life. And while this individual couldn't probably tell the difference between a pen and a knitting needle, he stood before a mass of people as a king.
 I open with this because of the Sochi winter Olympics that took place earlier this month. The events themselves held little interest for me, but the competitors did. Naturally, I'm not speaking of the actual winter Olympics (which are full of exceptional athletes), but of the para-olympics, which had a class of individuals who, despite their individual disabilities, strove on to compete for both themselves and their native lands. 
 This entry shall be short and sweet. It is a tribute to them. Praise all of you who stood before the world and competed for your countries. Though it may not have been easy, you all persevered. And while there can only be one bronze, silver and gold medalist, you are all winners. You are all winners because you overcame your adversity and represented your respective countries on one of the grandest stages on the planet. And that is something that very few of us "able-bodied" folks can claim.
 Respect to you all. Kudos to you all. You are, and shall always be, an example of the indomitable force that is the human spirit.     

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