I thought that the video about Raul Cuero was inspiring. Positivists of society encourage others to embrace their differences, but Cuero truly expresses this ideology within his words and actions. Cuero’s story was shocking in the way he watched cockroaches as entertainment in his Colombian town, yet ironically this is what guided him to fame and fortune. I can apply his circumstance into my everyday life, because I can be encouraged that though I am from a small town, I can be encouraged that I can do big things futuristically. Without his vile childhood, he wouldn’t be who he was today, especially without the encouragement and inspiration of his intellectual mentors along the way. People told him he was not an intellectual, people told him he wasn’t good enough, and people told him he would not change the world. Barricading the discrimination, he decided to choose the high road and to put his grandma’s advice of “being good and respecting others”(1) into action. I see this as a rare characteristic in people of today’s society and it has shaped his cognitive skills into the inventor he is today. I can apply this outlook into my own life by disrupting conformity and to do the opposite of what people expect. Everyday I can have confidence in my intelligence instead of allowing society to define me.
Through his story, he has inspired his students to disobey society’s standards and to reach for the impossible. They know they can achieve the impossible if they try hard enough and put their heart into it. We have all heard this, but Cuero’s story is proof that it truly works. In the video, he talked about his theology of “universal consciousness” and explained how it is essential to overcome prejudice. “Take the bad and use it as 'fuel' to do something great”(1). I couldn’t agree more, and I can continue to use this in my everyday life by being reminded of his story. I can use the depressors in my life, turn them into my own powerful fuel source, and continue to pursue my deepest aspirations.
Cuero also talked about failure. So many people are afraid of failure, that they don’t even try to begin, yet he says that it’s in the “process of doing something that you find ideas, answers, and creativity”(1). Today, children and adults are missing out on discovery because of a screen. I see this almost everywhere I go. I see people waiting in line for Starbucks, with almost every one staring at their phones. I see people having dinner together, both on their phones. Why stare at your phone when you could talk to one another, be inspired, and possibly change the world? “Creativity has to do with how you perceive nature, you have to be a good observant of nature, you have to understand your place by being in it, but you cannot do this by being on your phone inside a room”(1). Cuero concludes with his definition of an “achieved life” which includes mental development, physical development, and spiritual development while feeling satisfied and content. I agree with this, but I would also add that it is the feelings and satisfaction of others as well that make your achieved life mean something outside of yourself. This is what I strive to live by everyday.
MLA
1. “Microbiologist Raul Cuero PhD on Sparking Creativity on Living Smart with Patricia Gras.” YouTube, Houston PBS, Web. 24 May 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZugtaO85T_Y
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