A
Limitless Perspective
The
essay “Nothing is Missing” by Tom Munnecke, is a phenomenal short story about
Tom’s flowing view of the world and
his perspective of language restricting the way that we project our thoughts
and feelings. I felt aligned to his exact words throughout the course of the
literature; his view of how language limits our thoughts and feelings, opened a
whole new world to me. Munnecke states, “I had no word for this experience. It
was simply outside of my language shell, and the generally accepted Western
language. Flow was an extremely weak word for it, one of those specialized
analyses from a single frame. Silence, ‘seeing the world from the outside in,’
‘blacks and whites as shades of gray,’ dichotomous things become one,’ are just
some of the other definitions I might have chosen” (Munnecke 457). This quote,
and Munnecke’s perspective, helped steer my understanding of thoughts and
feelings down a more creative path. I grew a great deal during this read, and
it is honestly one of my favorite English reading assignments I have ever had.
Similar
to Tom’s epiphany-like experience in Japan, I have had a similar experience
that endured over the past seven years; through my teenage and young adult
years. Through my many extraordinary experiences during my four years in high
school I gained so much insight of life, and I feel my past 3 years in college
have exposed to a deeper meaning of the gift we receive every morning as we
take our first breath among waking up. My epiphany has been the appreciation
and understanding of the value of love, age, and knowledge. The sudden (well,
prolonged) realization that our lives are truly beautiful.
I
have gained the appreciation of love. The idea that love is one of life’s
greatest treasures. The idea that something free and earned can result in an
everlasting feeling is amazing. The love for family, is extremely important,
because time travels on its own accord. We should not spend our time arguing or
holding grudges toward family members because there will be a time where they
will be gone and we need to make things right before that happens. I have also
gained the understanding of the importance of friends. We need people in our
lives to make the bad times seem good. Family and friends are crucial to our
emotional existence.
I
have gained the appreciation of age. I value this dictionary definition of
time, “Time: noun the indefinite continued
progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a
whole” (Google). As Google said it time is going; therefore we need to enjoy
it. During all walks of life we need to appreciate where we are, even if the
times are hard because we will never get it back. Whether young or old, time
and experience must be appreciated. I love the idea of life’s progression, and
I am astounded, daily, about its nature. Ultimately, our age must be enjoyed, despite
where were are in our path; the fun never stops.
I
have gained the appreciation of knowledge. Throughout the course of high school
I learned to appreciate learning. The fact that there are buildings upon
buildings of books and an internet thriving of knowledge excites me. There is so
much to be gained through learning and so much to add to our own personal
libraries. During this time, I was getting ready to enter college, and I truly
saw the value of education. I saw how you can start one day and a few years
later graduate with not only a degree, but a whole understanding of new skills
that you would soon master.
My
own epiphany has given me a sense of excitement for living. We have so much to
live for, so many reasons to make every day an amazing one. Like Tom Munnecke’s
epiphany in “Nothing is Missing”, I have gained a new perspective. The idea of
words restricting us is empowering because its shows how limitless everything
really is; like the dark matter that is reached after millions of light years
beyond our galaxy. Our feelings and thoughts do not need to be justified, they
can just be appreciated, felt, and enjoyed. Through the appreciation of love,
age, and knowledge I have structured a limitless perspective. One that can add
value to everything I do.
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