Ever wondered if you were talented?
Probably, of course. Everyone's talented one way or another. There's no one that is absolutely talentless.
Now, after discovering it, ever wondered if it's useful at all?
I have.
In the context of art-based talents, it might seem useless right now, especially in a result-oriented society. Scientists, teachers, economists, bankers...Most of them feel like as though they were 'churned' out. Follow these rules to get to point A, where A is (Success or Security or Wealth) squared.
Lots of people are going the Calling route, though, which is good too. But they are still being churned out in a sense, because they go through the same kind of conditioning as those who have absolutely no idea where they are headed, but will just stumble to wherever they can find the SSW mentioned above.
Hey, I might even be one of them.
In that sense, sometimes it might seem useless, these talents.
You have the talent to play football. "But you're a student! Studies guarantee your future!"
You have the awesome talent to play the guitar. "Why waste time on things that cannot give you success or security? How you have children liddat?"
You have the amazing ability to surf. "Aside from getting the chicks with those washboard abs, what's it good for, man?"
You have the talent to write stories. "What? And face rejection? Be real lah. Stick with the syllabus, do what it wants and you'll be fine. Write what story?"
One of the writer's worst fears is that no one wants to read what they wrote, as well as the ever ominous R word faced by a hopeful, average guy attempts to ask the prom queen out on a family picnic outing.
In fact, one of the worst enemies of talent nurturing and development are the voices of unbelief, both inside and outside. You have voices in your head telling you you can't make it, or you have the voices of others telling you to 'get real', those keen little tongues honed to near perfection by the sharpening wheel of a society's culture and regulations, going round and round, making things run like a vicious cycle.
The scary thing about that is it can turn a hopeful into someone totally disillusioned by what society has 'called' him to do, and become one of those who bring others to be 'honed' and 'sharpened'.
It's not entirely horrible, though, and neither is society the only one at fault. Ultimately our actions bring about the exodus in our lives, which are then influenced by our thoughts. Sadly, most of us are easily affected by what the environment dictates us to do. "Everyone's doing this, so let's do this."
"Everyone's not doing that, so-hey wait, I'm good at that!"
"Are you really?"
"Yes I am!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah!"
"Really, really sure?"
"Err...Yeah."
"Okay, we'll leave you behind then."
"Hey...Hey! Wait! I'll follow!"
I digress, but sometimes it feels like certain talents aren't really needed. Who needs a writer in their midst? What can he do? Pull out a pen and brandish it before the armed robber, proclaiming that "The pen is mightier than the sword!"? When you need a musician, do you require someone to write a story out of it so that music can flow from the instruments? When there are sick people, do you require the flowing juices of creativity to cure him or medication and advice from a doctor?
Of course, these scenarios might be for naught, because most people are multi-talented nowadays. They can sing, they can dance, write music, play a thousand and one instruments and burp non-stop for three minutes. What then, happens to those with one specific talent? Are they to become one-trick ponies, to be commended but never taken seriously?
Perhaps I just haven't met the right kind of people. Perhaps I'm just letting circumstances drag me down, but when I told a friend about my aspiration of writing a book and that she'll be 'watching me', it set my mind into motion: Why haven't I started anything at all, despite having so many ideas, so many concepts, so much time previously?
Self. Society. And the debilitating injury of fear that cripples oneself at every step of the way, especially if you try to pursue your dreams.
But just knowing that some people are following you and have raised concern over your progress...It makes me feel motivated. At least, more than I've felt in a long time. When someone doesn't forget your dreams and your desires and constantly checks up on you, it becomes a bright light in the shady world of disbelief, with its luminescence accentuated all the more by apathy and false impressions.
So...Maybe I should start trying to be that light today. Not just for myself or for that person, but to show how much God can change a person to care for others.
It's better to give than to receive, hey? Besides, when I give, the same measure will be given back onto me, pressed down, shaken together and running over in my bosom...As long as I have the right attitude, because ultimately it's to benefit the other person.
Hopefully I'll be able to run on longer myself, with the encouragement I've received. For dreams, for love, for hope, for the glory of God.
Time to sleep!
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