I found this essay that I wrote for my English 311 class... I thought it was pretty good so I thought I'd post it.
Our Unlimited Potential
Often in the world today, people are discouraged by those around them who are wonderful, talented, popular, and beautiful. They are constantly bombarded with images of perfection and beauty that seem unattainable. Because of this, depression is becoming more and more commonplace, and there are less and less people who strive for greatness over mediocrity. In her book, A Return to Love, Marianne Williamson explains a new idea that can help uplift and motivate those who are down-trodden:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a Child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. (190-191)
I am sure that there are many people who feel they can never be someone who others deem to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous. They have settled for the idea that they will always be average, and movie stars and celebrities are the only ones to really be celebrated for their worth. Flaws of real people are exaggerated because these images of perfect people never have them. They had somehow been blessed from birth to live lives of ease and pleasure. We try to be like them, try to imitate their seeming lives of fame and glory, but it is only to be dreamt about. I don’t mean to suggest that a movie-star lifestyle is always wished for – they have their share of troubles as much as I do, and on top of that, they must solve them under a magnifying glass. I am trying to say that despite this, the world loves to idealize perfection and brilliance, even though it seems unattainable. Williamson’s quote suggests that we should try our hardest to be the best we can be, despite the put-downs and discouragements we are constantly faced with. We shouldn’t try to pretend to be someone else. If we can look inside to who we really are, we will find a soul of greater worth than any of these modern idols we tend to worship. “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God” (D&C 18:10).
Recently, I realized that sometimes I portray a lesser version of myself in order to make others feel more secure around me. I feel like if I showed them my true self, I would be intimidating—not to mention I would be exposing my inner personality for their judgment. As a result, they only think of me as the person I want them to think I am – easygoing, accommodating, and likeable. No one can be uplifted by this charade of pleasing actions. In contrast, I have met some people who truly let their light shine, who are not afraid of showing everyone how wonderful they are. They are not arrogant - their outgoing, positive, and friendly attitude can do nothing but uplift others. Their self-confidence and fearless disposition enables others to be less afraid to let out their own personality. When I interact with them, it makes me want to be as happy and radiant as they are. This, as Williamson has said, is liberating for me because it encourages me to let my own light shine, uplifting those I meet along the way.
As I thought about this concept, I realized that the same is true for music. Being a music major, I am around music all day. I hear the masterpieces as well as the mistakes. Then I think, “Why can’t I just get rid of the mistakes?” For that matter, why can’t I just enter the music into the computer and play it that way, so I can always portray masterpieces they way the composer wanted them to sound? No, that would not work. Why? Computers cannot put feeling into the music. The computer has no passion.
So why am I here, so far away from home, studying music? Do I love to practice that much? I chose to major in music not because I loved to practice more than anything else – because I didn’t – it was just the easiest thing for me to choose because I already knew I had the ability and talent to be able to succeed. I wasn’t as afraid of failure or disinterest in this field, because I’ve been doing it since I was 5 years old. It felt good because it was not out of my comfort zone – I played the required pieces for end-of-semester juries, and passed the class. It worked for me, especially as I made friends and felt even more comfortable with choosing music for a major.
Recently, I asked my friend Kyle to teach me a scale on his cello. I used to play the violin (which is very similar to the viola), and another friend had taught me a scale on her bass, so I thought it would be good for me to know a scale on the cello as well. During his “lesson”, he kept urging me to play more into the strings with the bow… push harder… dig deeper. I was a little flustered - this was difficult for me. I felt awkward with the instrument and wasn’t used to holding a bow. However, I finally was able to bow a few times with the strength he wanted. Only then could I feel the cello resonate the sound from the (now violently) vibrating strings. He told me that not many cellists at this school play as deep into their instrument as he does – that they are timid about it. To prove it, he pointed out the many broken hairs on his bow from such vigorous playing. Seeing how much he played into his instrument, I thought to myself, “This is why you are the first chair cellist”.
After I left, I realized that I too am annoyed with those timid instrumentalists – especially pianists who are afraid of the piano. They act as if they must always be kind and gentle to it. For soft, sweet pieces like Debussy’s “Clair De Lune” this is appropriate, but there have been many renditions of other pieces which I felt the performer did not do justice for lack of power and vigor. I later told this to Kyle, and he responded by observing that a lot of people at this school are not passionate about their music. They practice ‘just to get their two hours in’, and they play the music just because the notes and articulations are written on the page. Afterward, I thought about if I play the piano with passion. I feel like I do, but only with the impressionistic or romantic pieces, which happen to be my favorite. When I feel I have mastered one of these, I can use it as an emotional outlet when I’m feeling sad or stressed, and give it the most heartfelt performance I can muster. Of course, these categories of compositions lend themselves easily to passionate playing, so this is not unusual. Then I thought, “Why am I not passionate about Mozart or Bach?” I guess I had never thought about being passionate when playing works from these composers. They always seemed dry and dull to me. Then I realized I wasn’t giving them the passion they deserve! Why should these composers’ music be any different than the ones I love? They, too, had a need to creatively express themselves – a motivation to show others how they feel. They composed music to express to the world the consuming rage, anguish, sorrow, love, delight, and exhilaration they felt in their lives. Then, when I try to reproduce one of their compositions, and I don’t feel similar emotions to those which moved them to create it, something is missing. It is no longer interesting – it becomes meaningless splotches of black ink, merely tonal sounds that are otherwise dead.
The more I think about what Kyle had taught me, both through what he said to me and by watching him demonstrate what he told me about passionate playing at a performance, the more I realize that it is true. Last week in class, the guest lecturer taught that a performance which changes people’s lives requires the skills to bring the notes out of your instrument, the knowledge of the composer and the proper technique the piece requires, and also a third component – heart. Although many people toss this third one aside, I think it is the most important, for it is what separates us from the computers which seem to be slowly taking over our lives. I think back to when I had not yet recognized the need for passion and emotion in music… I promptly lost the ability to play the pieces I didn’t particularly enjoy, and can now only play my favorites – the ones which moved me, the ones that I could relate to because there were times in my life in which I felt the emotion they portrayed. When I put myself in the mood, I could pour my heart and soul out through these masterpieces and become completely enveloped in the music. The other, more boring pieces were simply left to slowly disintegrate. Now I realize the reason for my disinterest in and willingness to let go of some of the pieces I had spent so much time learning: I was not giving myself to them. The pieces were notes on a page, something that did not extract any emotion from me except dislike. I was playing them just to pass to the next level, not because I had learned to love them. I could not play them with passion. Why not? It could be because I didn’t know how to, but I think it’s mostly because I was unwilling to. I was unwilling to give myself up for judgment to an audience that doesn’t enjoy Bach’s music anyway. I wonder – how much different would a performance of Bach be if it was played not as an exercise, but instead with the same splendor of Handel’s “Messiah”, or the same energy shown by Kyle? After discovering this, the heart of music, I will never think of it the same. I will appreciate truly noteworthy performances not only because they sound difficult or beautiful, but I can now listen for the passion they give to their music. I can now more fully appreciate those formerly less interesting pieces if they are played with passion. When this is done, the performers are able to offer the audience (if they will take it) a piece of themselves which shows who they truly are inside. This is something that I need to realize and incorporate into my playing (especially for those pieces of music which are not the most exciting at first glance). If I don’t, I’ll become too mechanical; the music I share with others will be robotic and boring. I won’t know what I can do to fix it, and I’ll keep enjoying the pieces which I have always given my heart to. On the other hand, if I learn to love each piece, no matter if I care for the Baroque time period or not, I think something amazing will happen – I’ll be able to more easily share my emotions with my audience, giving them the opportunity to be touched and uplifted through my performance.
Most likely, there have been times in our lives when we feel we cannot become anything special or extraordinary. We feel bound for mediocrity and there is nothing we can do to change it. If you are someone like this, I urge you to remember who you are. You are a son or daughter of God. Just as you have received similar attributes from your earthly parents, you have also received Godly attributes from your heavenly parents.
“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Peter 1:3-4)
These scriptures have shown us that God has given us “things that pertain unto … godliness”. Think about how glorious God is, with all of his marvelous creations which we can only slightly comprehend. We, as fallen beings on this earth, have attributes of glory within us. With the Lord’s help, we can discover the wonderful things we are capable of, and use them to help others.
Another obstacle people may face in trying to find or share their inner selves is fear. There are many reasons for fear. Some people may be afraid of failure, or others might have fear of what people think of them. Katherine Mansfield shows us how to not be afraid of failure. “When we can begin to take our failures non-seriously, it means we are ceasing to be afraid of them. It is of immense importance to learn to laugh at ourselves.” This is true for me when I perform for others on the piano. Every performer longs to give their audience a perfect performance. That is a big reason for nervousness prior to them. When I make a mistake while performing, it is exaggerated partly because I want the audience to know that I really can play those notes correctly, and also because I’m mad at myself for playing it wrong when I can play it so perfectly alone in a practice room. Mistakes in the practice room are not exaggerated because they are failures that we take non-seriously. I find this very interesting – and also frustrating – because we cannot take the level of casualness and forgiveness for mistakes into the concert hall. It is because we are worried about what others will think when we make a mistake. Nobody is perfect – everyone knows that – but somehow we feel we must be when performing. However, if people could be a little more forgiving, maybe we wouldn’t be so afraid of ruining each others’ expectations, or being judged wrongly.
Along with those who think they can never be brilliant, and those who are afraid to show they are brilliant, there are probably others who don’t care about finding their true selves. They are content with going through the monotonous motions of life, living like busy drones, only interested in getting the job done and satisfying their needs. I am willing to bet that a lot of people who are like this do not realize the great blessings they have received. A quote from Helen Keller gives us some insight into what life might be like without feelings and senses we take for granted:
I who am blind can give one hint to those who see: Use your eyes as if tomorrow you would be stricken blind. And the same method can be applied to the other senses. Hear the music of voices, the song of a bird, the mighty strains of an orchestra, as if you would be stricken deaf tomorrow. Touch each object as if tomorrow your tactile sense would fail. Smell the perfume of flowers, taste with relish each morsel, as if tomorrow you could never smell and taste again. Make the most of every sense; glory in the beauty which the world in all the facets of pleasure reveals to you through the several means of contact which Nature provides. But of all the senses, I am sure that sight is the most delightful.
You were not created just to take up space. So, what are you going to do? Waste your life by being unoriginal and boring? Or spend your time loving the things you do, the people you meet, and in general living a vigorous, hearty life, being a good influence on others and someone they can look up to, or depend on? Be true to yourself. Follow your dreams, and fight for them. If you always settle for the easy option, the one that you don’t have to work hard for, I think you will find your life will be much less fulfilling. “Probably 99 percent of human ability has been wholly wasted,” writes Arthur Clarke, “even today we operate . . . most of our time as automatic machines, and glimpse the profounder resources of our minds only once or twice in a lifetime.” Do things that are enriching – this doesn’t mean you have to have bungi-jumping experiences all the time. Some of my most interesting experiences occurred not when I expected them to happen, but when I was doing something very ordinary. For example, the experiences I related about my cellist friend were not thrilling, but definitely something I can be a better musician because of. I encourage you to look for these kinds of learning experiences in your life. Think back on your day at night, and think of things that happened today that can make you a better person tomorrow. Elaine Cannon puts it simply, “Neither here nor hereafter are we suddenly going to emerge with qualities of character and a level of living for which we have not prepared ourselves.” If we don’t live an experience-rich, full life now, when will we? Start today; begin to see things in color rather than black-and-white.
In conclusion, I hope that we can be less afraid to let our inner light shine, to let others know how wonderful we are (in a not-arrogant way). And, in turn, we should take the time to get to know others and to understand that they are also children of God and should be respected as such. In general, if we do things that allow us to reach our true potential, life will be so much more fulfilling. However, if we choose to stay at the level of mediocrity we are at right now, we are doomed to a lesser value of life. The world is not boring. We should not let it be so by letting our robotic actions take over. Live life from your heart. Realize your potential. If you look inside yourself, you will find an incredible person who is more glorious than you dare to think.
Often in the world today, people are discouraged by those around them who are wonderful, talented, popular, and beautiful. They are constantly bombarded with images of perfection and beauty that seem unattainable. Because of this, depression is becoming more and more commonplace, and there are less and less people who strive for greatness over mediocrity. In her book, A Return to Love, Marianne Williamson explains a new idea that can help uplift and motivate those who are down-trodden:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a Child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. (190-191)
I am sure that there are many people who feel they can never be someone who others deem to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous. They have settled for the idea that they will always be average, and movie stars and celebrities are the only ones to really be celebrated for their worth. Flaws of real people are exaggerated because these images of perfect people never have them. They had somehow been blessed from birth to live lives of ease and pleasure. We try to be like them, try to imitate their seeming lives of fame and glory, but it is only to be dreamt about. I don’t mean to suggest that a movie-star lifestyle is always wished for – they have their share of troubles as much as I do, and on top of that, they must solve them under a magnifying glass. I am trying to say that despite this, the world loves to idealize perfection and brilliance, even though it seems unattainable. Williamson’s quote suggests that we should try our hardest to be the best we can be, despite the put-downs and discouragements we are constantly faced with. We shouldn’t try to pretend to be someone else. If we can look inside to who we really are, we will find a soul of greater worth than any of these modern idols we tend to worship. “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God” (D&C 18:10).
Recently, I realized that sometimes I portray a lesser version of myself in order to make others feel more secure around me. I feel like if I showed them my true self, I would be intimidating—not to mention I would be exposing my inner personality for their judgment. As a result, they only think of me as the person I want them to think I am – easygoing, accommodating, and likeable. No one can be uplifted by this charade of pleasing actions. In contrast, I have met some people who truly let their light shine, who are not afraid of showing everyone how wonderful they are. They are not arrogant - their outgoing, positive, and friendly attitude can do nothing but uplift others. Their self-confidence and fearless disposition enables others to be less afraid to let out their own personality. When I interact with them, it makes me want to be as happy and radiant as they are. This, as Williamson has said, is liberating for me because it encourages me to let my own light shine, uplifting those I meet along the way.
As I thought about this concept, I realized that the same is true for music. Being a music major, I am around music all day. I hear the masterpieces as well as the mistakes. Then I think, “Why can’t I just get rid of the mistakes?” For that matter, why can’t I just enter the music into the computer and play it that way, so I can always portray masterpieces they way the composer wanted them to sound? No, that would not work. Why? Computers cannot put feeling into the music. The computer has no passion.
So why am I here, so far away from home, studying music? Do I love to practice that much? I chose to major in music not because I loved to practice more than anything else – because I didn’t – it was just the easiest thing for me to choose because I already knew I had the ability and talent to be able to succeed. I wasn’t as afraid of failure or disinterest in this field, because I’ve been doing it since I was 5 years old. It felt good because it was not out of my comfort zone – I played the required pieces for end-of-semester juries, and passed the class. It worked for me, especially as I made friends and felt even more comfortable with choosing music for a major.
Recently, I asked my friend Kyle to teach me a scale on his cello. I used to play the violin (which is very similar to the viola), and another friend had taught me a scale on her bass, so I thought it would be good for me to know a scale on the cello as well. During his “lesson”, he kept urging me to play more into the strings with the bow… push harder… dig deeper. I was a little flustered - this was difficult for me. I felt awkward with the instrument and wasn’t used to holding a bow. However, I finally was able to bow a few times with the strength he wanted. Only then could I feel the cello resonate the sound from the (now violently) vibrating strings. He told me that not many cellists at this school play as deep into their instrument as he does – that they are timid about it. To prove it, he pointed out the many broken hairs on his bow from such vigorous playing. Seeing how much he played into his instrument, I thought to myself, “This is why you are the first chair cellist”.
After I left, I realized that I too am annoyed with those timid instrumentalists – especially pianists who are afraid of the piano. They act as if they must always be kind and gentle to it. For soft, sweet pieces like Debussy’s “Clair De Lune” this is appropriate, but there have been many renditions of other pieces which I felt the performer did not do justice for lack of power and vigor. I later told this to Kyle, and he responded by observing that a lot of people at this school are not passionate about their music. They practice ‘just to get their two hours in’, and they play the music just because the notes and articulations are written on the page. Afterward, I thought about if I play the piano with passion. I feel like I do, but only with the impressionistic or romantic pieces, which happen to be my favorite. When I feel I have mastered one of these, I can use it as an emotional outlet when I’m feeling sad or stressed, and give it the most heartfelt performance I can muster. Of course, these categories of compositions lend themselves easily to passionate playing, so this is not unusual. Then I thought, “Why am I not passionate about Mozart or Bach?” I guess I had never thought about being passionate when playing works from these composers. They always seemed dry and dull to me. Then I realized I wasn’t giving them the passion they deserve! Why should these composers’ music be any different than the ones I love? They, too, had a need to creatively express themselves – a motivation to show others how they feel. They composed music to express to the world the consuming rage, anguish, sorrow, love, delight, and exhilaration they felt in their lives. Then, when I try to reproduce one of their compositions, and I don’t feel similar emotions to those which moved them to create it, something is missing. It is no longer interesting – it becomes meaningless splotches of black ink, merely tonal sounds that are otherwise dead.
The more I think about what Kyle had taught me, both through what he said to me and by watching him demonstrate what he told me about passionate playing at a performance, the more I realize that it is true. Last week in class, the guest lecturer taught that a performance which changes people’s lives requires the skills to bring the notes out of your instrument, the knowledge of the composer and the proper technique the piece requires, and also a third component – heart. Although many people toss this third one aside, I think it is the most important, for it is what separates us from the computers which seem to be slowly taking over our lives. I think back to when I had not yet recognized the need for passion and emotion in music… I promptly lost the ability to play the pieces I didn’t particularly enjoy, and can now only play my favorites – the ones which moved me, the ones that I could relate to because there were times in my life in which I felt the emotion they portrayed. When I put myself in the mood, I could pour my heart and soul out through these masterpieces and become completely enveloped in the music. The other, more boring pieces were simply left to slowly disintegrate. Now I realize the reason for my disinterest in and willingness to let go of some of the pieces I had spent so much time learning: I was not giving myself to them. The pieces were notes on a page, something that did not extract any emotion from me except dislike. I was playing them just to pass to the next level, not because I had learned to love them. I could not play them with passion. Why not? It could be because I didn’t know how to, but I think it’s mostly because I was unwilling to. I was unwilling to give myself up for judgment to an audience that doesn’t enjoy Bach’s music anyway. I wonder – how much different would a performance of Bach be if it was played not as an exercise, but instead with the same splendor of Handel’s “Messiah”, or the same energy shown by Kyle? After discovering this, the heart of music, I will never think of it the same. I will appreciate truly noteworthy performances not only because they sound difficult or beautiful, but I can now listen for the passion they give to their music. I can now more fully appreciate those formerly less interesting pieces if they are played with passion. When this is done, the performers are able to offer the audience (if they will take it) a piece of themselves which shows who they truly are inside. This is something that I need to realize and incorporate into my playing (especially for those pieces of music which are not the most exciting at first glance). If I don’t, I’ll become too mechanical; the music I share with others will be robotic and boring. I won’t know what I can do to fix it, and I’ll keep enjoying the pieces which I have always given my heart to. On the other hand, if I learn to love each piece, no matter if I care for the Baroque time period or not, I think something amazing will happen – I’ll be able to more easily share my emotions with my audience, giving them the opportunity to be touched and uplifted through my performance.
Most likely, there have been times in our lives when we feel we cannot become anything special or extraordinary. We feel bound for mediocrity and there is nothing we can do to change it. If you are someone like this, I urge you to remember who you are. You are a son or daughter of God. Just as you have received similar attributes from your earthly parents, you have also received Godly attributes from your heavenly parents.
“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Peter 1:3-4)
These scriptures have shown us that God has given us “things that pertain unto … godliness”. Think about how glorious God is, with all of his marvelous creations which we can only slightly comprehend. We, as fallen beings on this earth, have attributes of glory within us. With the Lord’s help, we can discover the wonderful things we are capable of, and use them to help others.
Another obstacle people may face in trying to find or share their inner selves is fear. There are many reasons for fear. Some people may be afraid of failure, or others might have fear of what people think of them. Katherine Mansfield shows us how to not be afraid of failure. “When we can begin to take our failures non-seriously, it means we are ceasing to be afraid of them. It is of immense importance to learn to laugh at ourselves.” This is true for me when I perform for others on the piano. Every performer longs to give their audience a perfect performance. That is a big reason for nervousness prior to them. When I make a mistake while performing, it is exaggerated partly because I want the audience to know that I really can play those notes correctly, and also because I’m mad at myself for playing it wrong when I can play it so perfectly alone in a practice room. Mistakes in the practice room are not exaggerated because they are failures that we take non-seriously. I find this very interesting – and also frustrating – because we cannot take the level of casualness and forgiveness for mistakes into the concert hall. It is because we are worried about what others will think when we make a mistake. Nobody is perfect – everyone knows that – but somehow we feel we must be when performing. However, if people could be a little more forgiving, maybe we wouldn’t be so afraid of ruining each others’ expectations, or being judged wrongly.
Along with those who think they can never be brilliant, and those who are afraid to show they are brilliant, there are probably others who don’t care about finding their true selves. They are content with going through the monotonous motions of life, living like busy drones, only interested in getting the job done and satisfying their needs. I am willing to bet that a lot of people who are like this do not realize the great blessings they have received. A quote from Helen Keller gives us some insight into what life might be like without feelings and senses we take for granted:
I who am blind can give one hint to those who see: Use your eyes as if tomorrow you would be stricken blind. And the same method can be applied to the other senses. Hear the music of voices, the song of a bird, the mighty strains of an orchestra, as if you would be stricken deaf tomorrow. Touch each object as if tomorrow your tactile sense would fail. Smell the perfume of flowers, taste with relish each morsel, as if tomorrow you could never smell and taste again. Make the most of every sense; glory in the beauty which the world in all the facets of pleasure reveals to you through the several means of contact which Nature provides. But of all the senses, I am sure that sight is the most delightful.
You were not created just to take up space. So, what are you going to do? Waste your life by being unoriginal and boring? Or spend your time loving the things you do, the people you meet, and in general living a vigorous, hearty life, being a good influence on others and someone they can look up to, or depend on? Be true to yourself. Follow your dreams, and fight for them. If you always settle for the easy option, the one that you don’t have to work hard for, I think you will find your life will be much less fulfilling. “Probably 99 percent of human ability has been wholly wasted,” writes Arthur Clarke, “even today we operate . . . most of our time as automatic machines, and glimpse the profounder resources of our minds only once or twice in a lifetime.” Do things that are enriching – this doesn’t mean you have to have bungi-jumping experiences all the time. Some of my most interesting experiences occurred not when I expected them to happen, but when I was doing something very ordinary. For example, the experiences I related about my cellist friend were not thrilling, but definitely something I can be a better musician because of. I encourage you to look for these kinds of learning experiences in your life. Think back on your day at night, and think of things that happened today that can make you a better person tomorrow. Elaine Cannon puts it simply, “Neither here nor hereafter are we suddenly going to emerge with qualities of character and a level of living for which we have not prepared ourselves.” If we don’t live an experience-rich, full life now, when will we? Start today; begin to see things in color rather than black-and-white.
In conclusion, I hope that we can be less afraid to let our inner light shine, to let others know how wonderful we are (in a not-arrogant way). And, in turn, we should take the time to get to know others and to understand that they are also children of God and should be respected as such. In general, if we do things that allow us to reach our true potential, life will be so much more fulfilling. However, if we choose to stay at the level of mediocrity we are at right now, we are doomed to a lesser value of life. The world is not boring. We should not let it be so by letting our robotic actions take over. Live life from your heart. Realize your potential. If you look inside yourself, you will find an incredible person who is more glorious than you dare to think.
