reflection

I'm not trying to brag or boast, but initially I thought I had a good grasp of the English Language. I mean, what with my languages being my best subjects and all. Then I soon realised that I was so wrong. I just read an article, which I won't say "put me to shame", but kind of made me seriously reflect on whether I was truly good at English.
The article was beautifully written, albeit a bit too crude, and the writer isn't even a journalist or a full-fledged writer to begin with.

It got me thinking... and I started to wonder if one day, I could write like him. The article was crude but funny, insightful and moving. The usage of words, the placement of sentences. I know there are people out there who after reading it will go "Pfft... I could write like that too. It's so easy." But is it really? It does seem like anyone can write like that, but if we didn't have a reference... if we put ourselves in the writer's shoes and we had to produce that article for the first time, would we still have been able to produce such work? I refrain from using the word "masterpiece" because as awesome as the article is, there are still better works out there.

The writer is from America, and we are from Singapore. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm ill-informed. But from what I've heard from a friend overseas, Singapore's education level is higher than theirs. The books we study for Literature at Secondary level are the books they use for A'Levels. But as I said, it might not be the case for everyone in general. And yet, not everyone in Singapore can produce such a work. I will leave you now with an extract of the article.

"While I'll probably never fully understand Michael's struggle, I've had a first hand peek behind the curtain of Parkinson's. I've watched my father -- a strong and proud person who successfully raised 4 arguably insane children - slowly, cruely stripped of his independence. His golden years robbed without explanation. It quite obviously sucks. Witnessing my Dad suffer over the years galvanized my need to step up. On November 2nd, I'll join thousands of other men and women to march in lockstep solidarity toward searing psychic pain and physical humilation.

One of the reasons I chose RUNNING specifically, was because (as Murakami so eloquently put it) my competition is the most formidable foe of all; ME. The person I have to beat is the guy I was last week. The person I was yesterday. Indescribably worse, those affected by Parkinson's wage a similar war in their own bodies every single day. Unlike a marathon, their struggle won't end in a shallow pool of vomit just outside Tavern On The Green while waiting for an ambulance. They continue day in and day out, silently battling away in the most personal of struggles."

Extract from: 'Why I'm Running the New York City Marathon', Ryan Reynolds