Aron Ralston
Aron Ralston
Aron Lee Ralstonis an American outdoorsman, engineer and motivational speaker. He survived a canyoneering accident in southeastern Utah in 2003, during which he amputated his own right forearm with a dull pocketknife in order to extricate himself from a dislodged boulder, which had him trapped in Blue John Canyon for five days and seven hours. After he freed himself, he had to make his way through the remainder of the canyon, then rappel down a 65-footsheer cliff face in order...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionRock Climber
Date of Birth27 October 1975
CountryUnited States of America
It's saved lives from depression. It's saved lives from boredom. People tell me they quit their jobs after hearing my story.
Like looking through a telescope into the Milky Way and wondering if we're alone in the universe, it made me realize with the glaring clarity of desert light how scarce and delicate life is, how insignificant we are compared with the forces of nature and the dimensions of space.
We are not grand because we are at the top of the food chain or because we can alter our environment - the environment will outlast us with its unfathomable forces and unyielding powers. But rather than be bound and defeated by our insignificance, we are bold because we exercise our will anyway, despite the ephemeral and delicate presence we have in this desert, on this planet, in this universe.
I kind of entered a flow state. I've been there before while climbing. You are not thinking ahead. You are just thinking about what is in front of you each second.
I think it's out there and it's not something that I treat lightly, ... At the same time, I realized there's a lot that's going to have to change in my life before I become a father, as far as how I live, my priorities, where I might live. When the time comes, that's something I want to be just as passionate about as how passionate I am in how I live now.
How would I behave in a situation that caused me to summon the essence of my character? The tragedy inspired me to test myself. I wanted to reveal to myself who I was: the kind of person who died, or the kind of person who overcame circumstances to help himself and others
When we find inspiration, we need to take action for ourselves and for our communities. Even if it means making a hard choice, or cutting out something and leaving it in your past.