By Paul Tucker, Co-Director of Music
Recently I have found myself contemplating the idea of talents, and abilities. This topic has been on my mind especially since the recent passing of Muhammad Ali. I have heard several people surmise that if Ali had not found boxing he may have never amounted to much in this world. This kind of thinking puts all the weight of Ali’s accomplishments as a boxer on some super talent he possessed for the sport, and minimizes the time he spent honing his craft. It is easy for us to recognize what we consider to be talent after it has been developed.
Ali’s boxing career was successful not only because of his innate gifts in the sport, but because of his willingness to invest a great deal of time in daily practice. In fact, if Ali had a gift for boxing, alongside that gift he possessed at least an equal measure of drive and dedication to improve.
In my opinion, his desire was the more important commodity.
The individual largely responsible for all I know about music is a man named Dr. Kaestner Robertson. At the age of 12, my twin and I would travel each week to hear this man play for church. The things he did at the organ were so different from anything we had heard before, he aroused an intense curiosity in us. It was not until my brother and I were 17 years old that we had the opportunity to study with Dr. Robertson. Our years with him gave us an understanding of the discipline needed to achieve success in our chosen field. Dr. Robertson taught me how to teach myself and, by his example, how to teach others.
Too often I hear members of our church say “I wish I could sing. I would join a choir.” There are many opportunities to participate in music at Country Club Christian Church. Celebration Singers, Chancel Choir, Jubilee Ringers, Orffestra, and several other small groups present wonderful choices for adults to enjoy and share music. To sing in the choir does not require exceptional musical ability. One only has to have the desire to learn and share with others. Every skill needed to be a contributing member of the choir is taught in weekly rehearsals.
If Ali had not tried boxing he never would have discovered his gift and his love. We are not called to be the greatest. We just need to be willing to engage. In the end, exceptional talent may not be the most important thing.
