I am stubborn. Incredibly, irrefutably, unshakeably stubborn. This certainly has its disadvantages: my family and I engage in frequent fruitless arguments over mundane topics. Sometimes we even argue about whether we’re arguing. A schism has arisen between myself and my family, leaving a tattered web of relationships that I have always been driven to repair. But despite my efforts, nothing I’ve tried has improved anything.
This conflict has been a source of great distress for me. It has also been one of my strongest motivators and influential teachers.
Because I have been trying to heal my family since before I can remember, I decided to be a healer. At first, I was unsure how that mission would manifest itself. Would I become a doctor? A priest? Would I help rehabilitate animals?
No. I needed to become a musician. A passion for music burned in my blood like a drug, an addiction for which withdrawal would be lethal. In the same way that music had been my salvation in the darkest moments of my life, I needed to rescue others from their despair.
There are many broken people in the world. Trying to heal to everyone is an impossible task, but if I can benefit just one more life, it will bring meaning to my own.
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Draft Two
If there's one fault that I will openly admit to anyone who asks, it's that I am stubborn. Incredibly and irrefutably stubborn. This certainly has its disadvantages: my family and I frequently engage in fruitless arguments over the most mundane topics. Sometimes (more often than I'd like to admit) we even argue about arguing.
These arguments have created a schism between myself and my family, a tattered web of relationships that I've always been driven to repair. But despite my greatest efforts, nothing I've tried has improved anything. We still argue. They still try to control my major life decisions.
This conflict has also been one of my strongest motivators and influential teachers.
I have decided to be a healer. That decision was made many years ago, and I never considered doing anything else. At first, I was unsure how that mission would manifest itself. Would I become a doctor? A priest? Would I help rehabilitate animals?
Each for different reasons, these vocations were turned down. I needed to become a musician. A passion for music burned in my blood like a drug, an addiction for which withdrawal would be lethal. The most painful moments in my life have been healed through music.
One thing I have come to realize is that there are many broken people in the world. Trying to heal to everyone is an impossible task, but if I can benefit just one more life, then my own will have meaning. As it is pointed out in the Studio Ghibli movie Tales from Earthsea, the purpose of life is to give life to another. In this way, one can be truly immortal, as his kindness is passed from one body to another throughout the ages.
My stubbornness has been a thorn in my foot, yes, but I also see it as a great gift. I am open to challenges. I become easily addicted to just about anything—and while that may seem like a vice, I have realized that without it, I could never become a musician. This stubborn, addictive personality is essential to keep me motivated to practice, to excel, to achieve. It is what will make me good enough to heal others.
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Draft One
For as long as I can remember, I have struggled to maintain quality relationships with my family. In part, it’s due to the simple fact that we are all incredibly stubborn, unwilling—perhaps even unable—to understand each other’s points of view. This conflict, both external and internal, led me to seek refuge in the things not really there.
I lose myself in fiction, in art, in music as an effort to heal myself of the daily struggles in life. It is this idea of healing that has been my motivation throughout my entire existence.
I have toyed with thoughts of being a priest, doctor, or veterinarian. Each because they promise a life of healing others. But the most potent form of healing I have found is music.
Music is the poetry of life, a beauty that heals the soul. If I cannot find a way to heal myself entirely, I can still heal the souls of others.