194 ■ FLOWitself a matter of enjoyment and pride, and they were able to turn the
accident from a source of entropy into an occasion of inner order.
Lucio, one of the members of this group, was a twenty-year-old
happy-go-lucky gas station attendant when a motorcycle accident para
lyzed him below the waist. He had previously liked playing rugby and
listening to music, but basically he remembers his life as purposeless and
uneventful. After the accident his enjoyable experiences have increased
both in number and complexity. Upon recovery from the tragedy he
enrolled in college, graduated in languages, and now works as a freelance
tax consultant. Both study and work are intense sources of flow; so are
fishing and shooting with a bow and arrow. He is currently a regional
archery champion—competing from a wheelchair.
These are some of the comments Lucio made in his interview:
“When 1 became paraplegic, it was like being born again. I had to learn
from scratch everything I used to know, but in a different way. I had to
learn to dress myself, to use my head better. I had to become part of the
environment, and use it without trying to control it. ... it took commit
ment, willpower, and patience. As far as the future is concerned, I hope
to keep improving, to keep breaking through the limitations of my
handicap.... Everybody must have a purpose. After becoming a para
plegic, these improvements have become my life goal.”
Franco is another person in this group. His legs were immobilized
five years ago, and he also developed severe urological problems, requir
ing several surgical operations. Before his accident he was an electrician,
and he often enjoyed his work. But his most intense flow experience
came from acrobatic dancing on Saturday nights, so the paralysis of his
legs was an especially bitter blow. Franco now works as a counselor to
other paraplegics. In this case, too, the almost inconceivable setback has
led to an enrichment, rather than a diminution, of the complexity of
experience. Franco sees his main challenge now as that of helping other
victims avoid despair, and assisting their physical rehabilitation. He says
the most important goal in his life is to “feel that I can be of use to
others, help recent victims accept their situation.” Franco is engaged to
a paraplegic girl who had been resigned to a life of passivity after her
accident. On their first date together, he drove his car (adapted for the
handicapped) on a trip to the nearby hills. Unfortunately, the car broke
down, and the two of them were left stranded on a deserted patch of
road. His fiancee panicked; even Franco admits to having lost his nerve.
But eventually they managed to get help, and as is usual after small
victories of this kind, they both emerged afterward feeling much more
confident of themselves.