The Fire Within
Ferdinand Foch once said that the most powerful weapon on Earth is the human soul on fire. Every once in a person’s life, they will hear a voice, calling for them to pursue the uncertainty of the future that lies ahead. I personally believe that everyone has heard it at least once in their lifetime. It all starts with a thought, a dream, and then you start to question whether if it will work on you, whether you can trudge and sail the big waves in the ocean. No one ever knows what’s on the other side, until the moment they honor and followed the voice; their calling in life.
To describe my mind as a child, it was utterly a mess. I am the type of person that knows exactly what I wanted to do. The problem is that, I wanted too many things, which led me to be confused on what I really want. I would look around and see other kids my age, that knows exactly what road they will take on. Because of that, I was pressured to think about my future. It’s like driving into countless roads, but still, I don’t have a clear destination in my mind. I don’t have any talents, and it really took a toll on me. I felt like I had nothing special to do with my life.
As a kid, I also liked listening to classical music, analyzing every note and harmonies that passes through my ears. I was mesmerized by how individual notes, when combined together, makes such a heavenly and pleasing sound. I am particularly fond over a musician named Ludwig Van Beethoven. I listened to his music, and I was very astonished to learn that majority of his famous work were composed when he was already deaf. How can someone, lacking of hearing, make such good music? This can’t be, I thought to myself, and from that day on, something inside me lit up. I don’t really know what it is, but from that moment, I knew exactly what I want.
I asked my mother to accompany me to our attic, which stores objects that belonged to the family of my aunt and uncle, the previous owner of our home, who now resides in the United States of America. There I found the dusty piano that once belonged to my aunt. I helped my mother to pick it up and transfer to my room. After decades of sitting in the dank and old attic, it still looked brand new once we cleaned it up. The moment I first struck the white and black keys, I felt something in my heart swelling, a rush of joy, and excitement, even though it sounds like random keys being smashed.
I would sit and hang around inside my room for hours and hours every single day, watching people on YouTube and various tutorials. I would patiently listen to their explanations, and there are days when I would think to myself, that what I’m doing is pointless, because after weeks of trying, my fingers would still slip and make a mistake. But I still found myself every time, propping in my chair, watching videos, and then slowly picking up on them.
After an excruciating four months of hard work, patience, and persistence, I played my first piece, which is “Fur Elise”, by Beethoven. I thought before that playing piano is just all about memorizing which key to press, or by how fast you play it. A statement that Beethoven said that helped me how to play the instrument the right way, is “To play a wrong note is insignificant, but to play without passion is inexcusable.” And then, it struck me. The thing that helped me going on, no matter how hard, no matter how long it took me, no matter how impossible it may seem at first, is my passion. It fueled my heart, and it enabled me to unlock the talent that I didn’t think I had in me.
That was three years ago from today, when I first played Fur Elise. I still have so much to learn, so much to understand. But I know that my love and passion for playing piano will take me from places I never thought I could reach. My father bought a new piano for me last year, but I would still visit the attic, which stored the instrument that I had bonded for years. The thing that helped me find my passion in life.
