Many people have seen this video, and was just reminded of it today as I spoke on the phone with a dear friend. We were discussing all the music talent shows, like American Idol, the Voice, and America’s got talent. I have to admit that the only season of American Idol I have ever watched is this current one, and I am now hooked. And now I am also into the current season of The Voice, which has another whole bunch of talent just waiting to share their voice.
For me, it’s about watching people doing what they are born to do. Living in their authenticity, and being in total alignment with who they are.
When you watch, and you get goose bumps on your arms, or you get a tear in your eye – that’s a phenomenon called resonance. Something in the vibration of the music resonates with something in your soul.
Even more so than the music, watching these talented people is so inspiring to me. The power and emotion that comes from them belting out a tune, is awe inspiring.
That said, here’s the video I sent my friend today, and when I sent it to him, I watched it again. After wiping tears away again, I felt compelled to write this post, as there were some incredible conscious parenting lessons in this.
For whatever reason, this young man felt as though he had to hide this talent, even from his parents. While it made the performance even more dramatic for television, it made me feel sad. Sad that this boy was afraid to be fully open with who he is, at his core. Even though his external image says otherwise, inside, he’s yearning for acceptance and connection.
With my conscious parenting hat on, I can’t help but think of how many times he must have felt he was all alone. In my “Cultivating Conscious Children” program, one of the main principles is making sure that as a parent, YOU are the one your child turns to for support when they need it. YOU are their rock, their soft place to fall. Even into the teen years, children have strong attachment needs, which ideally are still to the parent, but more often than not, they are fulfilled by their peers.
Obviously I don’t know this family, and am only catching a glimpse of them on this short clip – I just can’t help but put on my conscious parenting “hat” when I see this story.
This man is very much an example of contradictions – his outward appearance could be considered somewhat harsh, yet his voice is soft and sweet. He was afraid to share this talent with even his family, yet he had the courage to come onto a television show to reveal his voice, and be so publicly vulnerable, when he couldn’t even do that at home.
Might this young man have shared this talent sooner, in a different arena, had his parents parented him differently? Perhaps. Sometimes, though, our soul needs to have a certain experience, in a certain way, at the right time, to learn and expand in consciousness.
The way this story unfolded was exactly as it was supposed to be, in perfect timing for all those involved. So parents, we can do the best we can, and parent the way that maximizes the chances our children will feel safe, but sometimes, just sometimes, there are greater forces at play.
And we will never really know, will we? And that needs to be OK.
OMG!!! I figured that he was probably going to sing opera, but I never, ever in a million years would have expected THAT to come out of his mouth. Unreal! Thanks for sharing this. And thanks to Andrew for finally having the courage to share himself with the world.
Yes, he is amazing. Every time I watch this, I am so moved by the performance, and the way he shared himself with the world. Nothing better than that!