Proclaiming Truth

Rarely do I ever speak of "popular" culture on this blog, but in watching, yes, American Idol it was amazing to me what takes place. No, not the horrible singing--reading about it, you would know that this was a given. What amazes me more than anything, is the people who tell these horribly sounding individuals that they have talent. Allegedly music teachers and parents tell these individuals that they are "the best" and sing wonderfully. Huh?

Brace yourselves--another pop culture reference. I like movies. One in particular that had a refreshing viewpoint was The Incredibles. One line I liked especially, was this: "If everyone is special, then no one is." What a striking thought, that some are talented at some things, and some are not! I cannot simply strenuously believe that I am the best baseball player and think that I can walk onto Fenway Park and demand to play, can I? Of course not.

Skills can be developed, but in most cases, there has to be a base of talent. Several cases in point: I like to play on computers, and so when in college (combined with the fact that I heard they earn decent money), I decided to pursue a degree in computer science. Things went okay the first semester, then I hit a class on C++. I studied HARD, and still only managed to barely pass on two tests. You know what? I figured out that it wasn't for me, and my professors and my friends, when I asked their advice, agreed. They didn't try to perpetuate any silly notions that I would be the next chief computer engineer at NASA.

Another example is when I was growing up: I tried the normal sports, like basketball, football and t-ball, but I just didn't have the right skills and amount of talent needed (honestly, the only play I ever made in t-ball was when I happened to stick my glove up close to the top of my head and the ball landed there--have you seen The Sandlot? The "new kid" was me.). However, my parents didn't say, well, "you're great!" They put me into soccer, which was a perfect match, and I've been playing for fun ever since.

All this is to say, if we can't be honest and truthful (in a loving way) on these matters, are we really loving those who are closest to us? Such deceit is a false flattery, and does the recipient no justice.