Norwegian Torstein Lerhol is a teacher and politician, an active citizen
and enthusiastic world traveler. Above all, he's an inspiration for others.
When people meet this 30-year-old, their first reaction is always surprise. At
first glance he doesn't fit the image most people have of a successful, happy
man.
Torstein suffers from spinal muscular atrophy and has spent his entire life
in a wheelchair. But his parents — farmers from a remote area — have always
stood by him.
When doctors first explained to them that their son would never walk and
would never look like most people, they decided to raise him normally
nonetheless. They couldn't see why they should treat him any differently than
his siblings.
Torstein ended up proving his parents right by successfully completing
school and university just as his siblings did. He traveled widely and forged
plans for his future. He knew early on that he wanted to be a teacher, but as a
young man he began to take an interest in politics as well. Soon he was
regarded the most inspiring politician in the country. And the most lightweight
— in a purely literal sense — tipping the scales at a scant 38 lbs.
He doesn't want to gain weight though because — as he says with a wink — he
wouldn't want his caretakers to have too much to carry. This good-humored
concession reveals a lot about his attitude towards his illness.
Torstein's optimism and courage have motivated people far and wide. But
even though he accepts and enjoys his renown, he was hesitant when a young
photographer named Henrik Fjørtoft presented him with a very unusual idea one
day: he wanted to photograph the politician nude. Torstein wasn't sure that his
body was something most people needed to see. But at last he agreed. And within
just a few months, the whole world had been moved by the audacious images.
Torstein's own words go a step farther:
"I thought for a long time about whether to publish these words and
pictures. I would like to show that neither my body nor my appearance have had
a huge influence on my inner being or self-perception. Body and appearance have
never stopped me from setting big goals — and also achieving them.
I hope that these words reach all those people who worry too much about
their external selves, and that what I write can help them understand their
internal life better. Because our inner merits should determine whether we're
successful, not the outer ones.
The photographer wanted to show that beauty is so much more than what we
usually think of as 'beautiful.' That there is no easy answer to the question,
what is beautiful and great. He wanted to show that it's possible to discover
beauty in all things.
The message is that we should accept all people in our society, totally
independent of how they look or of their physical limitations. Exactly because
there are no simple answers, I decided to publish these photographs.
Of course I'm aware that I'm no Brad Pitt. My bones stick out, my muscles
are atrophying, and my spine is so curved that I look like the Hunchback of
Notre Dame. But that hasn't stopped me from pursuing my dreams. I've simply
used the skills and talents that I do have. Education and politics have given
me the confidence to know that I can reach my goals without so-called 'perfect'
looks. Hence people have always treated me with respect, barely heeding the
fact that I look like a skeleton. At school my students treat me like a
completely normal teacher. Appearance is important and it's a sensitive subject
for children. So when they're able to treat me just like any other person, it
gives everyone hope.
I don't want to come across here as naive and claim that appearance isn't
very important in many situations. I also don't want to say that people
shouldn't take care of their bodies. I would only like to plead that our outer
appearance shouldn't determine how we perceive ourselves, live our lives, or
are appreciated by others. I have actively decided that my looks will not play
the most important role in my life.
Everyone ought to take these words to heart. There's so much truth in them
for all of us, with the potential to improve and enrich our lives and the lives
of those around us!
This post was republished from hefty.co
You can find the original post here.