When I was in first grade, I always wanted the tip of my pencil to be sharp.
The reason was that I love to see my writings in clear and crisp solid letters. I don’t use a pencil sharpener. I like it very sharp and pointed so I wanted my brother to sharpen it by a knife or Gillette blade.
However I need to take care of my pencil and should consume up to the last remaining lead. Life was hard back then and I know my parents find it hard to give us our school needs. So we have to give value to everything.
In school there are students who always want to be on top. They always want to be the best. I’m not sure what motivates them to always be on top of the class or maybe their parents wanted them to do so.
Yes, I was a brilliant kid in a different way.
Ironically I was not like some of my classmates whose names are always on the top ten best in class. Yes, I was a brilliant kid in a different way. You know, a kid who tries to read newspapers upside down. A kid who has always been beaten by his mother because of too much energy. But somehow I wanted to be the best too. Even if not in class but at least to be the best person.
In my fourteen years of attending school, I have witnessed different types of students showing different personalities. There were students who seemed to be very nice and close to some teachers. There are also students who seem to be afraid of teachers.
Sometimes I feel envious of people who are very friendly. They can get along with people quickly even if they just met each other. They are very charismatic. I also tried to be like them but it just doesn’t work with me. Maybe because I am an introverted person.
Anyway, going back to the pencil. There are four things we need to know about being the best person that we can relate to the pencil.
Stay Sharp
I mentioned earlier that I want my pencil to always be sharp. The main reason was I wanted my pencil to be always useful so I need to re-sharpen it when it becomes a little dull. You know in order for it to be useful we need to re-sharpen it from time to time. If the pencil could only tell us how they feel, we could imagine how painful it is for the pencil to undergo the sharpening process. However, that’s what it takes in order to become a useful pencil.
In life it is the same thing. Sufferings and challenges always come to us but we need to build our character in order for us to grow. To evolve on our own. To become useful like the pencil.
Along with these challenges we often make mistakes. That is the reason why we need to use the eraser to correct our mistakes. However those mistakes that we erase we should take them as lessons. We should use those lessons in order to become better the second time around.
Wherever place we may go, we leave our mark. People will recognize you if you leave them with good deeds. You will write your own story. Just like the pencil leaving marks on the paper. Even if the writings have been erased, your marks are still there. Don’t stop writing.
What is the most important part of the pencil? Of course it is the lead. The one that is being sharpened, the one that leaves marks, the one that is inside.
Remember that the most important part of a person is what is inside.
We may have forgotten these things to become a better person if not the best. Even I failed to remember all these things in shaping me as a better person.
It is important that we should always remember these things. To build our character, take lessons from every mistake, leave a mark and most importantly what’s inside our heart.
