Millions saw the apple fall; Newton was the only one who asked why - Bernard Brecht
There are two kinds of people in this world: people who do and those who don't or won't.
The first are people who are engaged with or conscious of others and
the world at large, interested in how it works and why. They are the
curious, always searching for answers. The others are here merely
because they're...well...here, taking up space; hitchhikers content to go along
for the ride or get others to do for them that which they could do
themselves.
I grew up amongst adults who required something of me - an effort on
my part to succeed in whatever I tried. I remember a family gathering
with my parents voicing concerns over my handwriting and how mine did
not live up to their expectations. Up until then, I had no idea that
they took pride in their own handwriting and felt that mine could be
improved. So, with their encouragement and guidance, it did improve.
My
piano teacher, a child prodigy who had earned her Royal Conservatory
teaching degree at the age of eleven, expected high standards from her
students and trained them to succeeed. No student of Miss Frank's was
expected to return from an examination with less than First Class
Honours. That was the pinnacle to aim for and our own badge of honour.
Today it doesn't matter. It's okay to come in third. In fact, it might even earn you a Gold Star.
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