influences

My life cannot be summed up in a single verb, noun or adjective; nor can it alone be accredited the sum of any achievements and accomplishments. If there is a monument in my name, I suspect that it has been built with mistakes, advice, time, and mostly change. Those who believe that a person is incapable of changing another are not only ignorant but are to be truly pitied. If it were not for the presence of others throughout my endeavors, it is inevitable that there would be a very different person writing this letter, one of a closed mind and an ill acquaintance with life other than my own.


Henry David Thoreau once said “That man who does not believe that each day contains an earlier, more sacred, and auroral hour than he has yet profaned, has despaired of life, and is pursuing a descending and darkening way.” Thoreau died in 1862 after writing a compilation of essays regarding his time spent living at Walden Pond and what he discovered. Upon opening the pages of his articles, I came to the stark realization that with every word, sentence and paragraph I was slightly more knowledgeable, curious, and... different. Certainly it is not the person alone that has impacted or moved me so much, than their mere thoughts and ideals. Before lending an open ear to the advices of Thoreau, it can be said that my life did not differ day by day, nor was it prioritized correctly. He lived for those things that truly matter, he discovered the fine line between what is impossible with realism, what is possible with idealism, and took notice to the beauty in a darkening world. Through the course of my readings I became slightly overwhelmed by the life I lead and the changes I should make in order to one day die a portion less regretful. Though I did not live near a pond, and isolate myself completely, I trusted that even if somehow the course of my thoughts were changed, I could impact myself and perhaps those close to me; fortunately, I did.

In early June of last year I began my life. Every night was a good night; I lived more in a single summer than most people lived in a year. When asked to do something I answered with the mindset that there was no tomorrow, that that day was quite possibly the last day of my life, and when mistakes were made, I accepted them as a part of who I am. Equipped with the knowledge of someone much wiser than myself, I said yes to more daring adventures, and chose to be happy in times of darkness. The most impactful thing however, that Thoreau taught me, was to discover myself totally and completely. What I found was a surprise; I do not particularly care about the predjudices of my peers, I don’t mind standing out in a crowd, and I believe in having some amount of fun, big or small, at least once EVERYDAY. Thoreau teaches that "[one] should not talk so much about [themselves] if there were anybody else whom [they] knew as well. Unfortunately, [they are] confined to this theme by the narrowness of [their] experience." I plan on continuing the process of discovery with not only myself but of those around me, because certainly I alone cannot attempt to broaden my own horizons any more than with another’s advice.

Some would ask how a dead man can continue to change lives centuries later; how my life was not impacted by a more involved figure, such as a family member, or prominent speaker. My answer is this: How great of a thinker would a person have to be, to go on changing the lives of others years after he/she is gone? How wonderful would it be to one day become that person? The greatest success is to know that the time I spent on this earth will not go unnoticed; to know that I lived every moment as if it were more important than the last, and that when all is over, not all is lost.