[Day 116] Harrowing thing

Tonight, I had the honor of dining then bowling with four of the smartest people I have ever met. Our acquaintance was made through speech and debate. They’re from a school nearly a half hour away from me that offers an IB program, which is something that I don’t know much about other than the fact that it is for smart kids. Their names were Matt, Joe, Arielle, and David.

It’s David that I’d like to focus on today. I remember how we met; it was during mock Congress at the Delta tournament last year, when I was still a novice to debate. David stood up to speak, and I was absolutely floored. Never had I met someone with such prowess at speaking, with such confidence. Needless to say, I declared myself in love with him for the next several days.

Then I actually spoke to him. Turns out, his entire personality was shown in that Congress room; loud, confident, and obnoxious. So my crush was thus squelched and I began to observe him with more of a fascination than worship.

I’d be lying if I said that David’s excess of ego has been the sole component to help me become more confident, although it did play a large part. Because through getting to know him, I realized that even though there are times that his ego is so large that I want to smash his stupid, smart face, I can’t help but like the guy.

Confidence, I realized, is not a sin, nor is it a vice. It is simply a vehicle to happiness, or at least to one destination on the way to happiness. David apparently needs more of it than most people, and that has given me the strength to begin proclaiming my own abilities. Being proud doesn’t have to be braggy,and being modest doesn’t have to be a constant personality trait in order for people to like you.