Posted by Anonymous on 2011/02/08 under Uncategorized All I Can Be If this is all I am, so be it. This is all I can be.
The number one graduate of my class may be well rounded in his or her studies but I am well rounded with wisdom, or least more than the 1st graduate would be and for that matter specific wisdom attainable only within youth. You see there’s a certain balance one must have to get the “best of both worlds” as some might call it. Being number one in your class just means you probably spent a lot of time with your nose in a book or things of that nature, it doesn’t mean you are intellectual; however it doesn’t signify you aren’t either. It says that you chose your grades over being a teen, which at 1st glance might seem far better. However there is wisdom to be gained in the teen years. You learn a lot as a kid and you do a lot as a teen. Yes that means mistakes. But guys, come one, you can’t be protected from the world without being a damn vegetable! Seriously the quote goes: the man who doesn’t make mistakes doesn’t make much of anything. Mistakes need to shift from being completely frowned upon to simply slightly upset with a whole lot of optimism saying you’re going to learn so much from that one mistake it’s ridiculous, however I digress. I recently found out that I am only 176th of my class out of 700 or so. This is actually good if you consider that: 1. I don’t aim for a high position and 2. i really don’t care whether I’m first or last. Wait, hold that thought. I’d actually choose my position over first. Not because of pride because I really do not care but when I dwell into this.. It’s actually better. How do I figure? The world put’s many numbers on us from phone numbers to address’s to ages to SAT scores to class averages etc. I think many people mistake the grading system for some kind of ranking system. Let me expand: school teaches us many things, but for the most part it’s all about knowledge, wouldn’t you agree? So when students are tested they are simply being tested on how well they remember the curriculum. However I believe many people misunderstand this and believe that if this person has a higher grade than that person they are smarter. Wrong! Tests simply check how much a student knows about a certain subject, not his/her ease to remember much less understand it. So yes, they are two different things. Furthermore remember is far different from understanding in the sense that anyone with a descent memory can remember this or that, but it takes more than a mediocre mind to understand how, and why in depth. Going back to the testing: I do think that’s it’s the closest humans will get to measuring our brains and minds for a long time if not ever. I believe that one can go to school for 20 years and still be a damn fool while one with only a elementary level education could be otherwise. I am talking about wisdom. Wisdom, I believe, is one of the most important things known to man. It’s simply sacred. For those who are a little unsure of what it is exactly it’s basically the ability to say “should I? I know I CAN do this and that… but SHOULD I?” Sort of like ultimate responsibility. Furthermore, wisdom is having ultimate courtesy of the future, everyone else and ultimately yourself. We as humans cannot attain wisdom through schooling, it’s through years of living, and if you ask me, profound examination of experiences regardless of polarity. In other words examining past events and asking why did this work? Why did this not? Why should I have not done that? And so on. Also, might I add that I believe there isn’t a limit to obtainable wisdom within a set period of time therefore a 16 year old boy can be wiser than a 30 year old man. However, I digress… The grading system only measures ones knowledge, not intellect or wisdom. This is why I strongly hold it to higher esteem that one can go to college for 20 years and still be a fool and that one of the more seemingly average minds can be actually one of the brightest. The only limits a man has are those he believes in… and if you believe in the number someone gives you than a number you shall be limited to. You are more than a number and even if this number is somehow accurate, it doesn’t mean one cannot transcend it, even if it is 100 out of 100. This is like saying the human mind knows everything and that’s simply false. I do not believe that we as human being have a comprehension limit though, I believe we can understand anything given enough time and effort. As Albert E once said “I have no special talents I am only passionately curious.” What that said to me was “I was patient enough to stick with unanswered questions until I found answers and that everyone can do what I have done, you just have to set your mind to it.” This man died attempting and ultimately achieving some of his lifelong questions. Yes he died before he could answer them all, but the point of searching is not to get all of the answers but to collect wisdom along the way and to discover one thing and allow future generations to add onto what you’ve discovered. As a passionate thinker I do wish to reach greatness not to be smarter than everyone else, but to spread my discoveries. So to anyone looking to judge me based upon an inaccurate number, so be it. I am more than just a number and I know that for a fact. Hell, we all are. We as human beings are more than the pictures we take, more than the numbers the government uses to identify us, more than the words we type, spell or speak, more than past experiences and so on. All in all you have to believe that life is more than the sum of its parts. I know these thing’s because a human being has no limit’s… it’s never too late to start over. I’ll use T Duncan as an example… the guy made his career out of swimming and when he could no longer continue doing what he loved he picked up a basketball and wrecked it. Not because he’s some kind of SUPER man but because he is a man. Yes, the real super humans are the ones we see every day. Super humans are the ones that can endure the world’s overall judgmental society and live to see another day upon the beautiful earth. The one’s with good hearts and that have good intentions. It’s a big part of why I live… because I know there are still good people that will try with all of their will to direct humanity to a higher path. The worlds always finding trouble with all the knowledge it acquires (because wisdom can’t keep up. Why? People are so preoccupied with what they can do they don’t stop to ask should I?). I hope to ultimately have a positive impact on the world. I try so hard, but I am only A man. It’s not the fact that I am a MAN but the fact that I am just ONE man out of many in the world. I may have good intentions but it can be heavily outweighed if everyone else opposes any positivity I give off, right? I can still make large impact but I cannot overpower the world. (Referring back to the main topic of this passage once more) Let us remember that we aren’t limited to what people say, the numbers representing us, or any of that junk. Don’t think for a second you are, because the truth is you aren’t. You are what you think you are, so why not think of yourself as one with infinite potential just waiting to be unlocked? I believe that is the truth but hypothetically speaking even if we are not limitless, I’ll say be happy with your best efforts. Perhaps there is a point when a human simply cannot go any farther and that is perfectly acceptable, as long as it is your best… as long as it is all you can be. Furthermore with all this been said, if I do find myself with limits, my sentiments and words will remain:
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