Yes, I knew about Christopher Reeve. Of course, he was the star of Superman movies of which I had seen none. From brief newspaper articles, I had known that he was completely paralyzed by some accident and lived his life in a wheelchair. In recent times, I remember reading a story about his death. This was about all the factual knowledge I had of him.
Of late, I have found myself thinking about reading autobiographies and biographies. Stories of real people, episodes of real courage, individual abilities to change natural courses of destiny. Maybe I want help to believe that after all, every individual has it in oneself to work with the impossible, and fight, even successfully, in situations commonly surrendered to in name of destiny. And that this power is not limited to heroes and superheroes of literary and tinsel world. And that the ability to create good is not a fictional quality endowed only to protagonists of our books and movies.
They say what you think about, you often come across. Maybe that is why my eyes fell on these words “Nothing is Impossible” Christopher Reeves carved in bold black letters.
The simple black cover of the book mostly covered by a black and white photopotrait of a calm and content looking man , identified by the words below “Christopher Reeve”. The footnote announcing the title “Nothing is impossible” Reflections on a new Life. I knew immediately, that this was what I was going to start with in fulfilling my new interest.
The back cover read “Christopher Reeve has mastered the art of turning the impossible into the inevitable. Now he shows us that we are all capable of overcoming seemingly insurmountable hardships. He interweaves anecdotes from his life with speeches and interviews he’s given. Nothing is Impossible reminds us that life is not to be taken for granted but to be lived fully with zeal, curiosity, and gratitude. That is a powerful message in itself, but it is the messenger who gives it its full resonance.”
The book is written in parts, each part reflecting a Element that was key in Reeve’s New Life, the life he lived after an equestrian accident that left him paralyzed from shoulder down, dependent on a vent to take every breath of his life.
The first, about The First Decision is when Reeve struggles with the new reality - the impossible seeming life that lies ahead of him without the use of any of his limbs, without the ability to breathe on his own. He wishes to die. How he with the help of his soul mate, his wife, Dana, take a decision to not die but to live. He realized that the decision to fight what was impossible was the key in rendering the impossible not so impossible, after all.
The second, Humor. When things are really bad, you have to laugh. We use humor to relieve tension and cope with many things in life that are whimsical and even absurd. In this part, through the various real life episodes of humor he created, Reeve tells us how humor helped him overcome and take control over serious situations which had the capacity to overwhelm his life totally.
The third, Mind/Body. Here Reeve shares his realization that the mind holds a strong power over the body. He narrated how he helped his deep ankle wound heal through visualizing in his mind a healthy ankle for months. Indeed, the human mind and body has powers beyond when we think are not possible. The victory over his ankle gave Reeve a confidence that after all he did have some measure of control over his body, through the power of his mind at least.
The fourth, Parenting. After his accident, the one of the worst feelings that Reeve had was that he could no longer be a successful parent, do things with his children and live up to his role as a father. Thus, he wanted to die. In course of his new life, he discovers that even without doing things he could be there with his children, retain their respect and teach them things they wanted to learn. His disability gave him the opportunity to talk with his children instead of being engaged in outdoor activities. He realized that his disability was no way a barrier in his being a better parent.
The fifth, Religion. Reeve describes his attempts with organized religions never gave him a sense of belief and comfort. His sense of religion can be summed up in the quote he uses to describe what he feels closest to religion.
When I do good, I feel good.
When I do bad, I feel bad.
And that is my Religion.
- Abraham Lincoln, 1860.
The sixth, Advocacy. Reeve went on to become a big advocate for research in the field of spinal injuries. He advocated for favorable legislation and grants of budgets consistently. Advocacy gave a sense of purpose to his life .Only a person who is going through a serious situation can become the strongest advocate for that cause. He achieved a few successes and many failures. He speaks in this section, of his various efforts to this cause.
The seventh, Recovery. This section is particularly inspiring. Reeve describes how he slowly achieved successes in regaining sensation in his limbs. He pushed his limits, exercised in ways a quadriplegic could and challenged himself to tasks the medical sciences would simply written off as impossible. As the nerves beyond a certain point o his spinal cord had been damaged, Reeve had lost all functions relating to them including use and sensation of all his limbs. He narrates his persistent efforts, and how through them, he succeeds in regaining some sensation through development of new nerve paths. One can only learn through this, that human potential is never to be doubted .It is maybe infinite and there exists no impossibility which may not be possible.
The eighth, Faith. He says “Gradually I have come to believe that spirituality is found in the way we live our daily lives. It means spending time thinking about others. It’s not hard to imagine that there is some kind of higher power. We don’t have to know what form it takes, exactly where it exists, just to honor it and try to live by it is enough. Because we are human we will often fail, but at least we know that we do not deserve to be punished. This knowledge makes us safe and willing to try again.”
The last, Hope.
Hope is itself a species of happiness, and, perhaps, the chief happiness which this world affords: but, like all other pleasures immoderately enjoyed, the excesses of hope must be expiated by pain; and expectations improperly indulged must end in disappointment.
- Samuel Johnson.
Reeve ends with “At some time, often when we least expect it, we all have to face overwhelming challenges. It is very tempting to give up, yet we have to find the will to keep going. When the unthinkable happens, the lighthouse is hope. Once we find it, we must cling to it with absolute determination. When we have hope, we discover powers within ourselves we may have never known-the power to make sacrifices, to endure, to heal, and to love. Once we choose hope, everything is possible”
The book ends with a photograph of a lighthouse at sea, a symbol of solid hope, the kind that helped Reeve live through the most impossible of situations.
I remember having read somewhere:
If wealth is lost nothing is lost,
If health is lost something is lost,
If Hope is lost everything is lost.
A great saying, I had said then. But today when I put down this book, I said as they say at then end of calculations following mathematical hypothesis: THUS, PROVED.
