The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;
the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
George Bernard Shaw

“Be realistic.”

We heard those words many times.

But there is something strange, frustrating, and limiting about “realism.”

Because almost every meaningful improvement in human life began with somebody refusing to accept the limits that others considered reasonable.

Pentecost is, in many ways, a story about refusing to be realistic.

Because the story of Pentecost is about:ordinary and frightened people hiding away – and then suddenly speaking publicly, courageously and across boundaries they were never expected to cross.

It is about: transformation, courage, imagination, and possibility beyond perceived limits.

If people had always been “realistic,” there would be no disability rights movement. No accessible transport. No independent living movement. No challenge to the idea that survival alone should be enough.

Every meaningful change begins with somebody looking at the world as it is and saying:

“No. We can do better than this.”

Pádraig decided to opt for change.

Is vótálaí mé – I have voted. I’ve made my decision.

On Friday, Pádraig cast his vote in the Dublin Centre by-election triggered by the resignation of Pascal Donoghue
who took up a prominent job at the World Bank.

Pádraig made his mind up 13 years ago, that he would not quit. Not die. Not donate his organs. Not to go into a nursing home. Not to comply with the health system’s expectations. He was not going to be ‘realistic’.

Pádraig decided he was going to start a bit of a revolution.
To be totally ‘un-realistic’.
To proof the ‘realists’ wrong.

Let’s take a quick look at last week: he went to a pub (accessible only via stairs) for a family gathering; he had a brilliant time joining the 70th birthday celebrations of his uncle; he went for beautiful walks in our local park; and, on Friday, cast his first, second, and third preference vote in the Dáil by-elections.

• On Thursday, Pádraig was invited to a gathering in a local pub. There were the usual steps which we quickly left behind. Then his tall wheelchair did not fit under the table. No surprises here either. But this time, we lifted the table, found some small containers, turned them around, and placed them under the table so that it was now high enough for Pádraig’s wheelchair. First, the staff were somewhat reluctant onlookers with a frown on their forehead, but then went with the flow. – We had a great dinner and a few drinks in the best company you could have wished for.

• Earlier in the week, we celebrated a 70th birthday and the family came over to our house – from a 3 year old to the 70 years old. All sitting around the table sharing good food, drinks, and a myriad of stories. The craic was mighty. In fact, it became so outrageously funny that I heard Pádraig laughing out loud for the first time since his accident. We just couldn’t stop laughing.

• With the weather getting a bit warmer and the days getting longer, we’re also back more regularly to our local park for walks along the river and along the ancient trees. The smell of the wet grass and leaves, the view of the slowly moving river, the feeling of the light breezes on the skin, the sounds of the birds singing all around us – each time we go, it is a feast of sensations that puts any therapy into the shade. You just can’t beat nature for beauty and sensations.

Thirteen years after Pádraig’s accident, many of the challenges remain real. Some always will.

But so too are the conversations, the friendships, the travel, the walks in the park, the concerts, the parties, the laughter, the routines, the decisions, the frustrations, the ordinary moments, and the life that continues anyway.

Perhaps realistic people accept the world as it is.

Unrealistic people change it.