The Dalai Lama was in Seattle recently, and a couple of people I work with described him as “so inspiring” – his speech was inspiring, he’s inspiring.
Also in the last couple of days, someone at work was discussing a documentary (Autism: The Musical) and said “anyone will be inspired by this film.”
And I started thinking: what does it mean to to say “I was inspired” if you don’t follow it up with “to do [something]”?
None of the people who described things as inspiring lately indicated that they were going to do something different, change their behavior, or even reconsider their perspective on the world.
I’m not bashing the usage, or intending to pick nits with people’s word choices. I know I’ve said things were inspiring before – but also, to be honest, when I think about the things that have actually inspired me to do something specific, they’re rarely things I’d actually describe as inspiring.
So I’m curious:
Do you describe things as “inspiring” or “inspirational”?
Do those things actually inspire you to do something? If so, what?
For me, inspiration from others basically comes in two forms:
- That person has his/her sh*t together, I should try to be more like them
or
- Look at how that person has overcome their handicap. Stop whining !
The second flavor tends to be more common. I try to catch the Banff Mountain Film Festival when it hits town each year. And there is sometimes some film about the amazing feats or adventures some handicapped person undertook. One that comes to mind is the guy who continues to rock climb despite losing both feet (and most of a leg) and I think, a hand. I rock climb, and seeing something like that tells me that not only should I be thankful I still have all my parts, but also that I should stop whining about not climbing enough. Basically, if this guy could continue to make climbing a part of his life, then there’s certainly no excuse why I couldn’t/shouldn’t.
It is very easy to get used to your day to day life, and start taking the limitations you perceive for granted. Seeing something like a footless climber, and thinking about how difficult it must have been to try again, puts things in perspective.
The first type is like planting a thought/idea. You may not act on it immediately (or you may), but if the person was inspirational enough, you will eventually do something you might not have done had you not seen this person (or heard their story). It may be subtle, or more blatant. But the effect is profound enough that it gets you to do something “different”. These tend to be more selfless acts (at least for me), giving back to the community, the environment, whatever.