Pathways Not Punishments

By the end of Nick Vujicic's speech, two thousand people stood weeping and cheering for a man who, by all conventional measures, should have been pitied rather than celebrated. I was among them, a high school student at a conference in Mexico, witnessing something that would change my perspective forever.

Nick's story is one of conflict. With his body, with society, and most importantly, with himself. Born in 1982 with tetra-amelia syndrome (a rare disorder that left him without arms or legs) he faced a world not built for him. He endured relentless bullying that pushed him to the edge. Kids were cruel. At ten years old, he attempted suicide. By fifteen, he had reached his darkest moment, questioning why he was even born. But dawn follows darkness.

"If I can encourage just one person to keep living, to rise above their challenges, then my life has purpose," he once said.