Unlocked Potential

Henry Ward Beecher once wrote, “Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody expects of you. Never excuse yourself.” I believe that Beecher is acknowledging that we have complete control of what we are capable of accomplishing, as long as we don’t allow ourselves to be swayed by other people opinions. It’s common, now, that people allow decisions to rest in the hands of their peers, but I believe that if people do so they’re obstructing their own ability to reach their true potential. The only way for people to attain larger than life goals is to maintain control and not allow their ideas to be tainted by the other people in their lives.

I believe that Beecher arguing that people should always think of themselves as capable of anything and never lower their expectations to fit those of others. Too commonly people see the expectations of others as a goal, rather than their own, but, the truth is, the majority of the time, what other people expect of you is usually a bare minimum compared to what is actually attainable. This, then, makes you think of their expectations as large and almost impossible to reach, when in all actuality they barely suffice for fifty percent of your potential. If brilliant people such as Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerburg limited themselves to what was, at the time, brilliant they would have never gone on to discover a whole new level of excellence. There are few people in the world that can classify themselves as innovators, and they are the people who never once belittled themselves with the ideas and limitations of others.

Beecher also acknowledges that people shouldn’t give themselves limits. People could never imagine what they’re capable of doing, so to give oneself limitations on aspects of life that aren’t even certain is foolish. People are constantly surprised when they discover what their capable of, but not everyone allows themselves to be. It is necessarily a bad thing to find comfort within limits, but to unlock a great amount of potential is by far more fulfilling and exciting. Our society should stop setting goals that only unlock a small amount of potential; rather, they should be constantly encouraging people to see what they’re capable of. 

Change

Jack Welch once wrote, “Change before you have to.” This idea is what gives me the strength to move on through life. Our lives are in a cycle of perpetual change, yet we still have a large percentage of people who are wrought with terror at the thought of the idea. I’m not arguing that people have to accept every change with open arms, but it’s possible to go about our lives without falling to pieces at the smallest signs of change. I think that this is the idea Jack Welch is trying to get across: it’s easier to volunteer to improve with change than it is to let it consume you with fear to the point you’re options have dissipated and are out of reach.

In my eyes, change has the ability to sneak up on us without a single warning and we can, either, develop along with it, improve, grow stronger, or, we can allow it to dominate and devour us until we’re the living embodiment of anxiety. I’ve personally seen how change can completely leave someone with nothing and test them to see if their capable of pushing through. I’ve seen my aunt sit in her home wallowing in a jaded sorrow and completely fall apart after losing her husband, sister, and father in less than one year, distorting her view of life and leaving her practically an empty shell. It isn’t uncommon that anyone in this situation would do the same, but there comes a time that you chose to, either, accept the events handed to you in life and push through, or, not do allow yourself to be torn apart. This is the idea that Welch is arguing.

It’s almost never easy to move on after a drastic change, and we’re usually left in a bewildered state of anxiety after change is thrust upon us. The worst thing we can do is go through life fighting everything just because it makes us uncomfortable and scared. To go against nature in this way it’s easy to lose track of what’s actually important and forget what you’re aiming for in life. You can find yourself living day by day, ultimately removing yourself from the world emotionally. As hard as it may be to embrace every change, if you allow yourself to not be affected by every change you’ll also allow yourself to enjoy life more and see what’s truly important. 

Killing Time

 William Faulkner once wrote, “Clocks slay time… time is dead as long as it is being clicks off by little wheels only when the clock stops does time come to life.” I believe that Faulkner is arguing that time is not simply something in which you get things done but something much more valuable.

 Many underestimate the value of time. Since infancy our entire days have practically been mapped out for us, from the time we wake up, to the time we eat, to the time we go to sleep, only to wake up the next morning and do it all over again. Most of our time is spent watching the clocks itself; no longer are we the master of time, but, rather, it is the other way around. We are woken up from sweet dreams by a harsh alarm to a bitter world in which we’ve lost our control to the clock. We clock in to work and school as time slowly fades away waiting for us to make a move, to live, but we maintain a routine. We go days without having time to be ourselves and we ultimately lose ourselves to the stresses of the world.

Faulkner argues that the clocks does nothing but limit our lives and diminish our potential to do something out of the ordinary and great. We constantly worry about how much time we have left that time goes by much faster than it actually is, therefore killing all chances of experiencing life in a different way. It’s only when we don’t know what time it is, that people begin to open their minds to the world and the human mind can thrive without the worries and stresses of work, school and the future.

People are capable of so much more than they are aware of, but because we are in a constant struggle to get work done that we never really have the time do develop ideas of our own. I believe that Faulkner is stating that we are only alive when we aren’t under the pressure of everyday stress and we have the opportunities to connect with other people and build the human connection.  It’s almost as if we are empty shells, machines almost when we are under the control of the clock.

We have to take the time to just stop and take in our surroundings and see what time really is. Time is not just a measurement but it is life itself. It can be measures in laughs and cries, in celebrations and achievements. Time is composed of moments, from the moment you came into the world until the moment you leave. It is the lessons we learn and the mistakes we make. Time is not merely a restraint or limit because it is one of the few things in life that is whatever you want it to be and therefore we should see it that way and treasure it.

What is peace?

Mother Teresa said, "If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." In modern day, where the world is infested with war and conflict, it is difficult for people to see the human race as unified. History is plagued with conflicts based on judgments and preconceptions: large numbers of genocide due to the idea that people without a similar state of though have no right to live, people not gaining their civil rights due to the color of their skin or the religion, etc. And, with all of these grievances that have taken place it is hard not to forget that we as people are all connected. Every action we make causes a chain reaction, we find ourselves in a large web where, with one single movement, the entire web vibrates and if someone were to pull away, there would be a wave of chaos.

Our world has become consumed by greed and hate, and it seems that conflicts are never ending. People are more interested in their own affairs than the world's struggles. It is a surplus of this state of mind that has made it so easy for the world's conflicts to grow. Once people began to lose faith in each other, it allowed an open passage for corruption to enter and expand in the world. Still unwilling to settle differences to end what seems like endless conflict, people have become almost powerless, like single ants each trying to lift boulders ten times their size. It is until people realize what strength and kindness the human population has when teamed together that wars will end and hate will disappear and peace will spread through nations.

Peace is a very broad term though. Some people might envision peace as perfection: no conflict, no anger, no sadness,no suffering, no pain. They visualize a sort of utopia full of model citizens in which there are no opportunities to make mistakes and everything is effortless and tranquil. I believe peace is a state in which people can acknowledge difference and not feel offended or disgusted. It is a state where judgments are received, not with anger, but with acceptance of a person's different point of view. In a peaceful world,conflicts would end, not with violence, but with understanding and acceptance. Peace is the ability to see a stranger and value their life and knowledge without question because with them, humankind is stronger. Every life in interconnected and it only makes sense that rather than break the chain, we try to preserve it.