Redefining Greatness
I've been thinking lately about what makes a person stand out to be a hero. If you know something about me, you might think of me as the average college student sharing my perspectives on life on her blog. I don't think of myself as a highly influential person. I just live life one day at a time, talk to people one person at a time, and write essays one word at a time. News these days seem to cover only rich people who have an incredible amount of money, while all they do is sit on their lazy selves and be rich. Meanwhile, the rest of the population who struggles to find means to survive their next challenge are muted and put on hold.
It's always been like that, hasn't it? Riches and fame are highly thought of while the outsiders remain invisible. God-like descriptions are made of misers and people who hold a high standing in the public through their wealth.
But one thing the outsiders know that the rich people don't is this:
though money can buy fame, it doesn't buy character.
It's easy for us humans to look up to rich humans, because it is in our nature to look up to something or someone that has more of what we don't have. But doesn't "striking it rich" stories start to sound mediocre? Don't stories of people making big money on their first try start to sound like a hoax? Don't stories about a boy living in the slums suddenly becoming a millionaire start to sound boring and common?
What if we need something other than the perfect superhero or the hopeless underdog?
What if strength, beauty, and fortitude mean something other than a show of ability? What if strength comes from bended knees, beauty from brokenness, and fortitude from hopelessness?
What if the very things that seem to be bringing us down are actually sharpening us for a greater purpose? What if real beauty is defined by character and willingness of heart? What if real strength is defined by admitting one's incapabilities and overcoming it one day at a time? What if real fortitude is birthed out of a place of extreme hopelessness?
If we start to redefine how we praise people, maybe we can start seeing value in the seemingly menial tasks. Maybe then we would stop putting so much on people who are stuffed with money and start focusing on the things that really matter. Maybe then we will realize that the weak are indeed strong, and the poor are indeed rich.
It's always been like that, hasn't it? Riches and fame are highly thought of while the outsiders remain invisible. God-like descriptions are made of misers and people who hold a high standing in the public through their wealth.
But one thing the outsiders know that the rich people don't is this:
though money can buy fame, it doesn't buy character.
It's easy for us humans to look up to rich humans, because it is in our nature to look up to something or someone that has more of what we don't have. But doesn't "striking it rich" stories start to sound mediocre? Don't stories of people making big money on their first try start to sound like a hoax? Don't stories about a boy living in the slums suddenly becoming a millionaire start to sound boring and common?
What if we need something other than the perfect superhero or the hopeless underdog?
What if strength, beauty, and fortitude mean something other than a show of ability? What if strength comes from bended knees, beauty from brokenness, and fortitude from hopelessness?
What if the very things that seem to be bringing us down are actually sharpening us for a greater purpose? What if real beauty is defined by character and willingness of heart? What if real strength is defined by admitting one's incapabilities and overcoming it one day at a time? What if real fortitude is birthed out of a place of extreme hopelessness?
If we start to redefine how we praise people, maybe we can start seeing value in the seemingly menial tasks. Maybe then we would stop putting so much on people who are stuffed with money and start focusing on the things that really matter. Maybe then we will realize that the weak are indeed strong, and the poor are indeed rich.
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