from xanga. i still have no system for posting :(

when we believe in others, we can spur them to betterment.

example.

brilliant melodies ribbon out of Leon's instrument as he flawlessly breezes through Zigeunerweisen. it is a gorgeous piece... the music will take your heart, put little wings on it, and allow it to soar out of your body (an out of body experience!! hehe)... if it is played correctly. which is what my friend did. now imagine Leon placing the sheet music in front of you, a mediocre violinist, and telling you to play.

what?

i reluctantly picked up my beloved Forrest and Gump (violin, bow) and gave an honest try. they say honesty is the best policy, but i wish i could lie here. i wish i could tell you that there was something redeeming to my playing, but alas. each incorrectly placed finger made me wish i could retract my head into my body and stop playing, but my self-proclaimed teacher withstood my profuse apologies and refused to let me quit until the first page was complete.

jin: i'm so sorry. are you sure i can learn this within the summer?
leon: (you have to know him to see him saying this cheesy stuff non cheesily) i'm so sure. i believe you can do it.
jin: heh. skeptical.

haha. who knows. but if you had been there to experience my dejection, perhaps you could grasp how much that belief really took root in my previously self-defeating attitude about my own skills. not wanting to let my buddy slash teacher down, i picked up my violin the next day absolutely determined to show improvement... and surprisingly, within the next two hours, there /was/ improvement. i'm still no virtuoso, but that's to be expected. encouraging, to say the least. amazing, too, how this philosophy can be applied to so many other situations. i tend to forget how much potential God stores in people that comes out with work, and how much work went into God showing us this belief. perhaps i should have realized the former when i learned in physics that potential energy is the opposite of kinetic energy, which is work. even beyond the difficult personal goal of trying to stop being so mean to people, it's time also to stop being afraid of the power in people and to start expressing my belief in them... all. of. them. (and please pray for the best as i apply that tomorrow.)

hopefully, Leon's belief is well-informed enough to be right. whether it is or not, there'll definitely be huge amounts of improvement...i guess we'll find out from the results in september :)