Young Writers Showcase: "Dancing to Your Own Tune" By Nick Abbott

I usually don't pay attention to commercials. To me, the advertisers are just trying to shove a certain product down my throat, using some sort of propaganda technique. But when the seventh inning stretch commercials came along during Game 3 of the Red Sox and Rays playoff series, something caught my eye. The Muppets, one of my favorite groups of characters of all time, appeared on screen.

As the commercial continued, my attention shifted from cartoon puppets to an important life lesson. This lesson was communicated by the famous comedian, Ellen DeGeneres, when she stated that her goal in life was to teach people to dance to their own tune. At first I didn't give this comment much thought -- I'd seen the commercial a few times before -- but this time it stuck in my head. The more I contemplated this ad, the more I agreed with it and the principles it inspired.

Dancing to one's own tune communicates the belief that I hold most dear. It is a common misconception that the opposite of love is hate. Actually, the opposite of love is indifference. People who fail to distinguish themselves are doomed to a life of indifference. Once they are exposed to the difficulties of life after childhood, they will not succeed.

If many people are being interviewed for a job, those who are nothing out of the ordinary will blend in, while people with an energetic spark and with a radical way of thinking will most likely get the job because they will bring something unique to the table. This is not to say we need to be different for different's sake, but to be individuals who define ourselves consciously. Therefore, I take special care to make decisions that are not plain and boring, but instead unique, personal, and different.

Life should be controlled by the individual whose it is, not by others who carve it out for us. I began believing in this principle on October 31 of the sixth grade: Halloween. Halloween is known for being a frightening day because of the haunted houses and scary costumes associated with it; but on this day, I was scared for another reason. This was my first year at a new school, and I only knew a handful of people there; in other words, I had a scarce amount of people who knew my name, let alone friends. However, I decided to wear an Elmo costume to school on the final day of the great month of October. As I approached the front door of the school, I cringed at the idea that all who would see me would laugh and make fun of me. Shameful of my ridiculous outfit, I trudged down the sixth grade hallway. But instead of becoming an instant outcast, people began to flock around me, dazzled by the brazenness of my elaborate attire. By being shameless, I ended up having much more pride than I did before. Ever since that day, my life has drastically improved, making this law of life -- dancing to my own tune -- one that I demonstrate in every aspect of lifestyle.

After the advertisement ended and the Red Sox game flashed back on the screen, I went deep into thought over this idea brought up in the ad. I mulled over how the world would be different if everyone "danced to their own tune." (I must admit, while interested in the subject, this was mostly because I was trying to get my mind off the 3-run homer Tampa Bay just hit to make the game 8-1.) Then off in the distance, I heard a couple of kids cheering "Let's go, Red Sox," in a desperate attempt to rejuvenate the little hope Boston had left. They didn't care whether they were all alone in their cheer, despite a crowd packed to capacity, or that their chants -- no matter how full-hearted -- would almost certainly fail to pump up the crowd or inspire the team to come back from the 7-run hole. All they cared about was that they were dancing to their own tune, and that's a standard we all need to strive to achieve, a belief we should hold to be true, and a principle both Red Sox and Yankee fans can accept as vital to living life to its fullest potential.