Human beings are capable of amazing things. Don’t make excuses. Do something amazing.
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UPDATE: From George Takei on Facebook. Another image that really makes my point
Amazing Things
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I cleaned, did laundry , paid bills, went to my tailor and went to Target where I bought TP.
Can I do something amazing tomorrow? I’m beat.
Oh- who exactly is the “amazing ” judge? Are they easily impressed? Do they snear at things that are just OK, cool, or “reductive”?
Can I crush them with a rock?
Hey Mastro –
Well, I would tell you who the amazing judge is, but I don’t want you going after him/her with a rock — not after the day they put in what with cleaning, doing laundry, paying bills, going to the tailor, etc.
And on top of everything else, he misspelled “Maestro.”
Phil is merely encouraging you to remove your head from your a** and realize greatness is possible.
If a series of routine chores has exhausted you, maybe you need to reconsider your self-imposed limitations.
Not sure I get the point. Since it’s a bit late to develop autism should I now regret not having it because there was an off chance of also having acquired an amazing savant ability? Otherwise Stephen Wiltshire is an amazing person.
Since it’s a bit late to develop autism should I now regret not having it because there was an off chance of also having acquired an amazing savant ability?
Come on. Really?
It’s interesting. I put a similar post up on Facebook and it immediately degenerated into a discussion about George W. Bush, after some wise guy asked about whether his brain is capable of amazing things.
I think we all have a lot of untapped potential. I think we need to take that potential seriously.
Actually, I’m very inspired by those pics. How easy would it be for that kid to lounge around on the couch? But he’s not, he’s running. And I can guarantee you he wouldn’t have a smile like that on his face sitting on a couch. I’m gonna think of that kid when I go out and run in the snow today. My amazing goal is to run a 50 mile ultramarathon. So far my long run is 13 miles, but I’ll get there!
I think the point is your own life is immeasurably enriched when you amaze yourself. So go do it. Not for anyone else, do it just to feel awesome.
I applaud your point and your sentiment; however, let’s put things into perspective. Yes, people who are crippled by disease, injury or birth defects doing marvelous things is admirable, even heroic. But whenever I see stories about great things folks do, I’m astonished by the omission of philosophers like Aristotle, Locke & Rand; artists, writers & inventors like Michelangelo, Vermeer, Da Vinci, Chopin, Brahams, Rockmaninoff–Hawthorne, Hugo, Dumas–Bell, the Wrights, Edison & Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce; scientists like Salk, Debakey, Watson and Crick; industrialists like James Hargreaves, Richard Awkwright, James Watt, Whitney, McCormack, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Ford, William C. Durant, J. J. Hill & Ken Iverson; builders like Paxton, Eiffel, Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright; businessmen like Thomas Watson, Sam Walton, Mary Kay, Steve Jobs & Bill Gates.
Etc., etc., etc.
It has been said that but for the achievements of a handful of men, the human race would still be living in caves.
Now that is amazing.
Steven, excellent point. I try to do the best I can, but I hold no illusions that I will ever make as significant a material contribution to “humanity” as those you list and I’m OK with that. The flip side is that I also recognize that I will never be as financially rewarded as many of them and, amazingly, I’m OK with that, too. Yes, everyone should be encouraged to “do something amazing,” but in today’s society I think it is equally important to remind folks to celebrate those who truly “do something amazing” instead of getting wrapped up in a BS class-envy “I deserve to get paid, too” attitude.
Um, I mean: Rachmaninoff.
Duh.
Sorry don’t have Facebook. Come on, really? As if those words and a non-sequitur about Bush mean something. We do have a lot of untapped potential and we do need to take it seriously. However a person whose savantism is a result of an underlying brain dysfunction is not a good example of untapped potential since that potential comes unbidden. The Takei example or similar should have been the first choice.
Do we know that about the autistic artist? Maybe he would have had that ability anyway, and something about his autism provided him with a lack of distraction, a gap in which the inborn ability was able to express itself. Maybe we all have such abilities of recall, potentially.
In these difficult times, it is so easy to put your head down and just try to survive but the key point is that you can do amazing things if you try. The best time for change is when things are not going well. Otherwise, why change? So, look at anyone you want for inspiration but then commit yourself to doing something positive to help yourself and others.