Justice Richard Bernstein, the first blind justice appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court, spoke to Northwestern students Monday about his experiences and challenges as a person with a disability.

The event was co-sponsored by the NU Chabad, Black Pre-Law Association and the Northwestern Undergraduate Law Journal. From completing a full Ironman triathlon to serving as a political science professor at the University of Michigan, Bernstein said he learned to embrace his struggles and has lived a more purposeful life. 

“Why is it that if God is so good, if God is so kind and if God is so merciful he allows for bad things to happen to otherwise such good people?” Bernstein said.

Being legally blind, Bernstein said he has had unique setbacks in life. However, he said leadership comes down to one quality: the ability to understand and appreciate what it means to struggle.

In 2012, after a bicyclist traveling 35 mph veered into the pedestrian lane and struck him directly in the back, Bernstein was hospitalized for 10 weeks.

“I remember longing for the opportunity to take a shower. I remember craving the chance to use the bathroom,” Bernstein said. “Life is not about the big; it is solely and exclusively about the little.” 

He said people cannot spend all their time and energy trying to get over something, but they simply must get on with it. 

Bernstein said the word “closure” should never be used because there is not always a chance to make a full recovery.

“Justice Bernstein’s unique perspective of the world motivates me to take risks and push myself,” Weinberg freshman Thomas Silberberg said. 

Bernstein said the secret to life is the ability to adapt, and that those who embrace struggle live a life of meaning and purpose.

“Hearing the incredible impact Justice Bernstein has had on the world, despite his many challenges, puts into perspective how trivial many of the things we see as individual limitations really are,” McCormick freshman Leonardo Bentata said. 

Bernstein concluded his remarks by wondering whether he would be the same person without all the experiences he has endured. 

“There are phases, and there are cycles in life,” Bernstein said. “But the challenge and the beauty of it is what you have to remember.”

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Twitter: @nicolefeldman_

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