“Boyled” Over

 

She is the hottest thing on the net.  More than 20 million people have now watched  Susan Boyle’s  incredible performance on “Britain’s Got Talent.”  She’s not young, she doesn’t have movie-star looks, and well, she’s kind of dorky. Yet,  this overnight sensation has captured the hearts of people around the globe.  

The moment she opens her mouth and begins to sing the Les Misérables classic, “I Dreamed a Dream” and sounds as if she’s ready to step onto a Broadway stage, we react with some type of emotion. As we pick our chins up off the floor, the reason we react becomes clear: because the mirror has been turned onto ourselves.

This type of “reality” show works because we mock the Susan Boyles of the world. It’s why the show’s producers set us up the way they did. The silly music. The interview that revealed she’s never been kissed. She’s painted as that lady down the street who has 17 cats and her house smells like a litter box. Meanwhile, we the audience, inspect the book’s cover and make judgments on what’s inside. Why? because if we can point to the shortcomings and failures of someone else, it makes us feel superior.

I don’t think it’s entirely possible to completely change this about ourselves, but this inspiring performance is a wonderful lesson for us all.   Give people a chance — more often than not, they’ll surprise you. Maybe not to the extent that Susan Boyle surprised you, but a gift could be revealed all the same.

Can you think of a time that you didn’t give a co-worker a chance? How about that weird looking guy on the plane? Did you even say hello? Perhaps you missed out on hearing a story that could enrich your life in some way. Perhaps you missed a shot at making a friend. God made each of our covers different. Whether they’re pretty or not is subjective. If you take the time to look inside, you may discover a treasure.

Thank you Susan Boyle. The world is a song and the song is exciting, especially when we listen more carefully.