Gad Saad talks about being stung by a stingray and the lessons it taught him about life and the things we can do to overcome obstacles. "Every moment is precious. Every moment counts. Every step counts."
00:00:00.040Hi everybody, this is Gad Saad. We are Monday, August 5th, 2024. I wanted to share with you an important life lesson that life imparted upon me yesterday.
00:00:14.100It was around 4.30 in the afternoon, local time here in Southern California. We had just finished playing soccer at the beach and I decided to go into the water at a beach that we've been going to for many, many years.
00:00:30.040We've seen stingrays in the past there, but had always stayed clear of them. And as I was walking towards the deeper water to start swimming, I felt a massive impact on my foot that very, very quickly became excruciatingly painful.
00:00:52.260So, made my way out of the water. Then my foot was just gushing, you know, a massive amount of blood. Made my way to a bench. It turns out that there was a family that has lived on that beach, has a beach house right there that are, they're aware of what happens with stingray, you know, stinging, stings there.
00:01:16.940And so, right away she got a big bucket of hot water and for about the next hour and a half, two hours, it was just unbelievable pain.
00:01:29.980And then eventually we made our way to the hospital because they wanted to make sure that the barb was not in me, the barb of this sting was not in me and that there was also a possibility of some very dangerous infections.
00:01:43.500So, we went to the hospital, had an x-ray, there was no barb, then I was given a tetanus shot, and then I'm on antibiotics now I think for the next week.
00:01:55.300But if you saw me today, you would think nothing ever happened. So, if you compared what I was like during those first two hours where I was really just writhing in pain compared to the walk that I just took today, it's unbelievable.
00:02:09.040So, what are some life lessons that that stingray taught me?
00:02:14.000Well, number one, it taught me that nature is majestic and we owe it much reverence because there are always things there, things in nature that, you know, make interacting with nature both awe-inspiring and at times scary.
00:02:31.380And that's why we need to protect all of the ecosystems and all of the animals because, boy, life would be a lot more impoverished if we lost all the biodiversity.
00:02:42.320I don't mean to get Greta Thunberg on you here. It's a real message of protecting nature.
00:02:49.240It is awe-inspiring that, you know, that stingray did not want to cause me any harm. It just said, hey, don't tread on me.
00:02:59.560And I did. And it said, well, I've evolved some defensive capabilities that are going to make you regret that you made that mistake.
00:03:08.960So, that certainly is one lesson. The second lesson is that you don't know in life what's around the corner.
00:03:15.600That's why it is so important to truly live in the moment.
00:03:18.860I mean, I couldn't have known one minute prior to that happening that how much that day would change for all of us.
00:03:26.640And so, that's part of the magisterial nature of life, the fact that there are so many unknowns.
00:03:34.100Of course, it also makes it scary because sometimes that which is around the corner is something really bad.
00:03:40.120In this case, it was bad for two hours, really, really bad.
00:03:43.440But then there is hope. That's another message, which is after the great pain comes solace, comes your awareness that you're resilient, that you can overcome it.
00:03:54.560And if I can tap myself on the back here, the lady who was taking care of me, the lady at the beach house, she said that she's already seen five stings this summer.
00:04:09.440And she's seen over her 40 plus years living there many, many men who've been stung and they usually end up crying.
00:04:17.100And I didn't and that I was taking it really well.
00:04:19.980So, maybe this becomes my new honey badger story.
00:04:23.200The fact that I would a really bad attack or sting and I took it.