NC by Sarah

NC by Sarah - February 2016 Scholarship Essay

In the wise words of Mark Twain, “Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” This great American writer had a gift that far too few people posses. He did not make the mistake of taking himself too seriously. Not to say that the man made a fool of himself, but he knew that if he wasn’t going to make it out alive he wanted to live life to the fullest. It’s a lesson that I dare to follow everyday. I imagine our dinner to be very informal. Mr. Twain does have several sage anecdotes that he is able to bestow to me, but I think it wouldn’t be that simple. Real people don’t speak in profound pros or transcendental idealisms, they just live. Throughout the course of the meal he may engage in a battle of wits, which I would most certainly be bested, but it would be veiled in a thick curtain of sarcasm. My entire life is veiled in a thick layer of sarcasm.
Amongst the amusing companionship, I would learn a lesson in humility, “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” I am blessed, or cursed, with a quite tenacious personality accompanied with strong opinions. As I have matured, I have learned that just because one believes something so fervently it appears as a fact, does not make it so. Everyone and their mother has an opinion on just about everything. It is often wise not to boast about every belief one holds dear. I do not have an all encompassing knowledge, therefore I should not speak of things I do not know in a way that implies I have an intention of convincing the masses. Mark Twain had the ability to convey this, among many things, in his exceptional writings. He did not write about things with a stern intention. The intention was to be a light-hearted tale in which he could, to some extent, appropriately express his opinions. If more things were done with a sense humor the world would simply less offensive.
I doubt I would make the meal an interview for a biography, that’s not why I wish to meet Twain. Just being able to experience his sense of cynical optimism, first hand, would be enough for me. I care little about what food we would eat, who dined with us, or even the topic of conversation. To simply be entertained by a master of wit and sarcasm would be as fulfilling as a six course meal. If I can just look at my everyday life in the same way, going in with the intention of learning something new not to prove anything, the mundane act of existing would bearable. Dare I say, even enjoyable. Not that I am pessimistic about my future, “There is no sadder sight than a young pessimist.” I am simply curious to see how I will write my own great American novel. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do... Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”