In the book “Tales From Q School” author John Feinstein tells the story of disabled pro golfer Casey Martin. Casey filed a lawsuit against the PGA Tour in order to allow him to use a golf cart during golf tournaments under the Americans With Disabilities Act. Casey has a degenerative disease in his leg called Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome that makes it impossible for him to walk a golf course. The case PGA Tour v. Martin ended up in front of the US Supreme Court.
Here are some Casey Martin quotes from the book:
“I grew up a dyed-in-the wool conservative Republican.”
“To tell the truth, the Republicans really disappointed me. I’ll be completely honest and tell you I was appalled by the positions taken by Justice [Antonin] Scalia and Justice [Clarence] Thomas. I just think they’re completely heartless. Bob Dole was the exception, but his experience was like mine-he’d been through it, knew what it felt like to be handicapped. I remember going on Bill O’Reillys show and walking away thinking, ‘This guy is a complete schmuck.’ It pains me to say it, but most of the people who showed compassion for me, who seemed to want to help out the downtrodden, were Democrats. I came away from the experience with a lot of different feelings on a lot of different subjects.”
“Heck, if it had been someone else in my shoes and I was just an observer, I’d probably have been one of the those guys saying, ‘He can’t have a cart. If he can’t walk, get him out of there.’ But I wasn’t. I was the guy living it. That made me rethink a lot of things, like just as an example, how I thought about welfare. I couldn’t help but wonder if I was the one living that life, I might feel differently on that subject, too. I found myself looking at things through a different lens.”
The Spiritual Importance
Compassion for others is a prime element in developing our own consciousness. Without increased cooperation and compassion for others, the human race is going to have a very difficult time in the very near future.
Start discussion »
Leave a Reply