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Sept. 28, 2012
A Selichot that inspires
Paralympian Rick Hansen speaks at Beth Israel.
JAN LEE
At least 200 community members had a rare treat when Canadian Paralympian Rick Hansen was invited to be the guest speakers at Congregation Beth Israel’s Sept. 8 Selichot talk on Renewal and Forgiveness in the Face of Challenge. The presentation, which took the form of a discussion between Hansen and Beth Israel Rabbi Jonathan Infeld, focused on topics relevant to the Jewish New Year: the importance of compassion and forgiveness of others and of ourselves, and the need to believe in our ability to achieve personal success. The discussion was followed by the congregation’s Selichot service.
Hansen, who has been presented with the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia and who co-chairs the Rick Hansen Foundation, is best known for his Man in Motion world tour, which raised $26 million toward spinal-cord research and quality-of-life initiatives in the 1980s. The tour helped mobilize interest in spinal-cord research in Canada and abroad. It also opened the door to frank dialogue about what it means to be an inclusive, accessible Canada.
Hansen described the circumstances surrounding the accident that led to his spinal-cord injury, and discussed his personal motivation to overcome the challenges of his new life.
Hansen was 15 when he was thrown from the back of a truck while he and a friend were hitching a ride home from a fishing trip. While his young friend was thrown clear of the accident, Hansen was not, and the impact severed his spinal cord. At the time, he said, losing the use of his legs seemed like the end of his life’s dreams.
“I wouldn’t ever be able to walk again, or be able to pursue my athletic dreams.... I wanted to be a teacher, a coach,” he told those assembled. “All of those things seemed to be shattered along with my spine.” Ultimately, he said, the accident “was the beginning of my journey.”
Hansen said that the months that followed that realization contained some of the darkest periods of his life. They also signaled “the beginning of one of the greatest opportunities” he had ever experienced.
“It was asking hard questions way earlier than I could ever have imagined,” he shared, “and the only way to strongly survive through that period was to try to find the answers.”
Overcoming the physical challenges meant facing the grief and pain of loss.
“The reality is, you have to feel the pain,” he said. It also meant realizing the positive elements in his life, such as the presence of family, friends and role models “who had been there before me, and … showed me that life didn’t end” with the accident. Their strong support showed him that he had a choice to make of whether to use his potential to the fullest, “or get fixated on pain and suffering and loss.”
Asked what he would say to the driver, who had been drinking at the time, if he were to see him today, Hansen admitted that his attitude has changed dramatically since the time of the accident.
“If I were [to see] him right here, right now, the first thing I would say is … ‘I want you to know that I forgive you. You were not the reason that this happened. This wasn’t the end of my life; matter of fact, it was just one of those moments in destiny for whatever reason that created an opening and it became the greatest chance to live a fulfilled and meaningful life. Thank you.’
“Because the reality is, I wouldn’t want my driver to feel pain, to feel guilt or burden because of that circumstance. I would want him to know it’s OK.”
Part of coming to terms with what happened, said Hansen, meant recognizing that he shared in some of the responsibility for his accident by getting into the back of a pickup in circumstances that were unsafe.
“So, one of the things I had to do in this journey, as well, was forgive myself.” That recognition was a turning point in his life that helped to shape who he would ultimately become. Accepting responsibility and forgiving himself allowed him to move on from the pain of his accident and use his experiences to help others in the same way that his mentors had helped him, he noted. It also inspired him to reach for his personal best.
Asked for his feedback on the conversation he had with Hansen that evening, Infeld said he was very encouraged by the response the discussion received. “He is a wonderful speaker,” Infeld said of Hansen, sharing that it has been a goal of his to interview Hansen, ever since hearing him speak at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The idea for the Selichot conversation was inspired by Dina Wachtel, who serves as Western region director of the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University of Jersualem, and Jewish community member, radiologist and national vice-president of CFHU Dr. Phil Switzer. Infeld said he felt gratified by Hansen’s willingness to participate.
“He delivered a very important message,” Infeld said, one that was particularly timely in light of the Jewish New Year.
The Rick Hansen Foundation’s 25th anniversary this year underscored the importance of that message even further. The recent Interdependence 2012 Conference and Hansen’s trips to Israel, Jordan, Australia, China and the United States to promote spinal-cord injury research and accessibility are just two of the foundation’s newest initiatives in the effort to create a more inclusive world.
“[There] is still a lot of work that needs to be done,” Hansen said in an interview following the presentation. “The world is much smaller and much more connected today than it ever was. We recognize that this growing world tends to fragment fundamental social values in order to address causes that we all care deeply about.” Ensuring accessibility for all abilities and respect and tolerance toward others’ differences are important steps to creating a healthy community, and so is self-respect, he added. “Respect for one’s self and for others is a powerful tool that can open people up to embrace the needs and perspectives of others. Each of us has the power to overcome obstacles in our lives, as well as to make a difference in the lives of others.
“With determination, courage and teamwork,” he concluded, “great things can be accomplished.”
Jan Lee’s articles on Jewish culture and traditions have been published in B’nai B’rith Magazine, Voices of Conservative and Masorti Judaism, and on Suite101.com. She is also a contributing writer for TheDailyRabbi.com. Her blog is multiculturaljew.blogspot.ca.
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