Diamond in the Rough

Do not be fooled by its commonplace appearance. Like so many things, it is not what outside, but what is inside that counts. This is no ordinary lamp. It once changed the course of a young man's life. A young man, who, like this lamp, was more than what he seemed.

A diamond in the rough.

And now another one....

And of course we cannot forget Susan Boyle....

And this one just makes me cry my eyes out so I had to put it in here....

I LOVE these performances. They are amazing, fantastic, mind-boggling. The talent these people have is astounding. But what really strikes me about these clips is how humble these people are. They have clearly been through the mill when it comes to life. Jonathan was made fun of- all of his life he was made fun of. Sung-bong Choi was dumped at an orphanage at age three and beaten until he finally ran away. Susan Boyle was underestimated and belittled. Why? Why do people think they have the right to be mean?

As I watched these clips I just about bawled my eyes out. It is so easy to judge by appearances. I do it, you do it. The first thing I look for is if someone has a uni-brow. There is no stopping it, but you don't need to let that be the only thing you base your opinion on.

That boy Jonathan is so shy and nervous and timid. He is soo low on his confidence level it's a little bit unbelievable. That might be stage fright, but I think it's also, as he himself says, a result of the mistreatment he went through since elementary school. Why in the world were those kids so mean to him? Because he looked a little different? Because he wasn't awesome at basketball or whatever they call it over there? I'm so glad he has Charlotte. She is so kind and supportive of him. I hope all of those kids who were mean to him feel really crummy right now.

With Sung-bong Choi he was abandoned. Now, I don't know his family's circumstance but it is so sad that a child at age three was left at an orphanage. By that time he had gotten to know his family a little bit, and he probably loved them too. My lil guy was just barely two when I came back to school and already he was talking and everything! I can only imagine how traumatizing that abandonment must've been for poor little Sung-bong Choi, but then it got even worse because the people at the orphanage would beat him! How in the world did those people get hired?! I want them all fired and in jail right now. Anyone who is cruel to children have no excuses and they deserve every bad thing society can throw at them.

I do not know if Susan Boyle was ever hurt by mean words before, but everyone was so scoffing an skeptical at the beginning of the video. Hmph. So glad she proved them wrong.

I know that if people judged by appearances alone I wouldn't have nearly as many friends as I do now. This isn't a stab at my appearance, it's more of an acknowledgment of the attractive level of my friends. I have really pretty/handsome friends, guys. Once upon a time two groups of my friends met, and a boy who I wasn't really friends with implied that I only want them all to meet so they could see how pretty my friends were, thinking that I was superficial B who bases her friendship on looks.

I have a theory of why my friends are so pretty/handsome- they are this way bc they are so nice. I firmly believe that people who are kind are beautiful, and they stay beautiful. Whenever I am being snobby, or flat-out mean I can see it happen- I get ugly. It's true. In contrast, whenever I am trying especially hard to be nice I always get compliments and make new friends. I'm telling you- the best beauty trick is being kind.

And I think that that is why I love these videos so much. These performers are just so beautiful to me bc of their kind hearts and boldness. They've had such a bad time of it, but they still managed to remember that they have a fabulous gift and they went and they shared it and they got all these people to root for them. Their stories have hopefully done a lot of good and I know for a fact that I am not the only one who cried while watching them step out of their shells. Holy chicago I love underdogs.

I love shows like this, bc once you sift through all the egos and advertising and ordinary you get to this stuff, the amazing stuff. You hear stories that break your heart, and see performances that you feel from your toes to your head. You get to be a part of a stunned audience of millions that sees someone who has not yet been so beaten that they can't try one more time, even though by all accounts a lesser person would be. I am so incredibly grateful that they had the courage to share their gifts.

They are wonderful.

They are fabulous!

They are, the very definitions of diamonds in the rough.