Let it Shine!

A couple of months ago I got to attend the talent show at my kids' elementary school. It was excruciating. First of all, the gymnasium was way too crowded, and the 500 plus American bodies (64% of which must have been overweight or obese according to recent studies) heated the place up to somewhere between slightly uncomfortable and just plain smelly. Secondly, I got there too late to get a seat, so I had to stand on the sloped base of a volleyball net pole as there wasn't even room to stand on the floor. Thirdly, speaking in general terms, the talent was awful. Now I'm not trying to sound hateful or mean; I'm just stating that in terms of performance quality, there was none. Ok I'm exaggerating a bit. Some of the kids were actually very good. There were a couple of piano players, some dancers and a singer or two that truly brought the good stuff. Overall though, I found myself wishing Rip Taylor would just strike the dang gong.

But here's the thing, the kids that were performing didn't seem to care if they were "good" or not. They just enjoyed being in front of the crowd. And here's something that really shocked me: while I expected to parents to be polite and clap and not make fun (out loud, anyway); I did not expect the audience of children to be so supportive. But they were more encouraging than even us polite grown ups. At one point, a young child forgot his song half way through the act and got embarrassed. But the crowd of kids didn't pounce. They clapped and started chanting his name, in a positive, encouraging way. They wanted to see him succeed. The kid then finished his act and the crowd went wild for him. It warmed the cockles, I'll tell you.

As I left the school I was experiencing both joy that I was driving away, and sadness that somewhere along on the line most of the kids in that show will probably decide to quit putting themselves out there. I'm not just talking about talent shows, either. I certainly don't think everyone needs to get in front of a crowd and perform. I mean that in life most of us decide to "blend in" at some point, so as not to have to deal with standing out and perhaps being ridiculed or failing at something (whatever that means). The young souls I saw at the talent show wanted desperately to express themselves creatively, whether or not the expression of that creativity was technically "good." And boy do I admire, and aspire to, that.

So many of the things we associate with soul/spirit involve flight. From doves and angels, to the ascension of Jesus, Mohammad, Enoch and other religious figures. The human soul was built for flight. Not in some escapist way, so we can rise above the crap of this world and live a trouble-free existence where it's all Benjamins and Blow-Pops. I mean the spirit was built to be bold in the good times and yuck times. The spirit was made to prevail. Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, and Ghandi have proven what a bold spirit can do. But somewhere along the way most of us give in to the voices that tell us we "can't" do something, or "that's just the way it is." So we clip our own wings and settle for comfort and anonymity. And perhaps even worse, at some point many of us start secretly hoping that those around us don't do great things either. We seem to want the herd to stay together.

Since I can't find a point to finish this post with, I'll end with a little confession. As I've been writing I've been nervously editing and censoring my content. I've haven't been sure that what I'm writing makes sense or that it truly represents what I'd like to express; but since I've been writing about these brave kiddos who express themselves without a lot of shine and polish, I'll do the same and post this anyway. Enjoy!