A Quick Reflection: Lesson learned

Written by cusulli on May 12, 2009

Writing for me is an art and whenever I write something, I seek perfection, I spend a lot of time thinking about each and every line and how someone may interpret it and as my last blog post was quite emotional and took a time for me to create, I wanted the next to be of a similar standard.

However, for this ocassion, I just wanted to share something that really touched me (enough for me to blog on it!), sometimes spontaneity is good and you can write from the heart, ignoring all rules.

Life perfect ain't perfect, if you don't know what the struggle's for
Falling down ain't falling down if you don't cry when you hit the floor
It's called the past cause I'm getting past and I ain't nothing like I was before
You ought to see me now...

Lesson Learned - Alicia Keys (Get a copy of 'As I Am', its music straight from the soul by this true artist)

This particular extract hit me most, every line had its own meaning.

Struggles and tribulations are what makes this life so interesting, it is that which gives our lives a meaning. If I were to be given everything I wanted just a vocal chord's vibration away, I may enjoy it for a while, but I would always feel that I haven't earned it. Just step aside and look at the person whos providing that service for you, the work they're putting in, the struggles they undergo - that's life! I love life and for that to be true, I face challenges and I have ambitions and the type of happiness I get when a goal is fulfilled cannot be attained by no one but you.

I love how she says "hit the floor", there are times in my life I have hit rock bottom suddenly, out of the blue and I questioned myself "Why?", "Did I not put enough effort?", "Did I do something wrong?". There are times when I've worked so hard on something and yet I recieved nothing but negativity for all the hard work I had put in. I am human and I do hurt. I love how she has explained that it's not an ordinary trip, its something that hurts, and thats what makes it qualify for a true "fall".

I love the play of words, with "past", and the statement "I ain't nothing like I was before" breathes self appreciation and victory after having fallen many times and having learnt from the past . The final kick "You ought to see me now", exudes confidence and self belief to become a new, stronger, matured individual.

The song goes on:

Yes I was burned but I called it a lesson learned
Mistake overturned
So I call it a lesson learned
My soul has returned
So I call it a lesson learned
Another lesson learned

Its that feeling of your heart being crushed (burned) or the realisation and after effects of that unintended mistake you made, you learn the lesson. I particularly love how she says "my soul has returned", since this hits a personal chord with me. Whenever I do something wrong, evil or hurt someone, the moment I realise the mistake and the steps I take to remedy my actions, I feel my soul returning or my old self returning . She sings "another lesson learned" indicating the multitude of lessons we learn in our lives which at times they all came at once.

However, there are times when you may not be in the wrong:

Sometimes
Some lies
Can take a minute
To fully realize
His tears
Your eyes
Thirty seconds to apologize
You give it one more chance
Just like the time before
But he already know you'd give a hundred more
Until that night in bed
You wake up in a sweat
You're racing to the door
Can't take it anymore

People often hurt us, but as difficult as it sometimes seems, I have learnt to forgive people even if it means that I have to bottle off my anger and keep calm in a higly tense and aggravated environment. Though there are times when people use you, and see your act of forgiveness as a weakness, and that continued opression can lead you to your limits and that feeling of "I just cant take it anymore" is beautifully painted at the end. Make sure you are with people who value you but try to be always the first one to help if you know that someones in need of genuine help, however small or arbitrary it may seem.

Life has a meaning, lessons of life has a meaning, your everyday interactions with people are important, reading about what other people have to say is important, visiting Beautiful Movements is already a step to becoming aware of all that goes around you and how you fit into the big equation. You make the person who you are today.

Have a listen to this song, if you want, I also love "Sure Looks Good to me", I may write on it, who knows! I hope this didn't read like an analysis! I just wanted to explain what those lyrics meant for me, and as I said, its quite impromptu.