What's "ordinary"?

[anghara]

I came across a couple of different discussions in the last few days which revolved around this concept. What makes people "ordinary" or "extraordinary"? Talent? Luck? Hard work? All of the above?

You walk down a crowded city street, and your eye catches a willowy young woman dressed up to the elegant nines, with perfect make-up and this season's trendy accessories. Is she extraordinary in any way other than obviously having the means to be right up there on the bleeding edge of style?

You're in a coffee shop and you overhear two people discussing "The book" - are they both just "ordinary" readers? Did one of them write a book? Did both? Did one or the other or both get published, or get good reviews, or win awards? How "ordinary" are they? How far past a certain line do they have to be before they might be considered to be "out of the common herd"?

Is the mother of two who still holds down a full-time job extraordinary?

Or is it just the people who do something that makes you come up in goosebumps?

Take a look at this guy. If you passed him in the street you wouldn't remember it - he's the quintessential "ordinary", a short chubby guy with a too-round face and a cheap suit and hair cut too short. You learn a bit more about him in this article, and damn, but he's as ordinary as he can get - a mobile phone salesman, probably one who would scuttle if you snarled at him in the store, he looks mild and innocuous and Milquetoast-like, and, well, you might dismiss him as irrelevant... and then he opens his mouth.

Take a good look at the judges' faces, when he starts singing. They all *sit up*. Their jaw drops almost visibly. And practically the entire audience is wiping away tears.

That's extraordinary.

And it just goes to show - the extraordinary hides in the most unlikely of places, sometimes. Which means that we are all, to some extent, extraordinary - it's just that some of us never get a chance to show just how.

Late breaking edit:

Here's his semi-final performance. He is still amazing.

Comments

[fjm.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

He sang and I burst into tears of joy. Thank you.

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

Wow! I watched the video 3 times in a row. Amazing what comes in plain wrappers...

[norilana.livejournal.com]

Wow!!! Thank you for posting! Electifying and totlaly sent shivers through me to see this. With a tiny bit of vocal training this man will be a high-end opera professional.

[little-foxy.livejournal.com]

I came across that footage yesterday, and it is exceptionally hard to not be affected by this gentleman. He has an amazing voice, and the look on the judges faces was priceless. They almost scoffed when he said he was going to sing and what he was going to sing...

[miketo.livejournal.com]

Saw this earlier today. I got goosebumps AND tears -- and I don't even like opera.

No matter what happens on "Britain's Got Talent," he's bound for big things in the opera world.

Simply wow.

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

y'know, i had an idea what his voice might be like the moment I knew he was Welsh. The look on simon Cowell's face was priceless, but what gratified me most was the audience reaction - they might not have come to hear opera, but by gods, they were moved.

And the transformation between his first shuffling-onto-the-stage and the semifinals was amazing. A different suit, a little more confidence, and he was a new man. I *really* hope he wins.

[sboydtaylor.livejournal.com]

Very cool. I have a lot of extraordinary friends. My wife is extraordinarily talented at many arts and crafts. I may even be extraordinary.

I believe almost everyone can be. They just have to believe, and to work hard. It helps if they're naturally gifted, but many times the hard work is more important than the talent.

When the exceptional is expected, then it occurs.

Just my 2 cents.

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

My experience is that very few people are 'normal' or 'ordinary' - the sheer span of human experience is extraordinary indeed.

[sboydtaylor.livejournal.com]

Very true :) Everyone dreams about touching some star or other. The times we reach for them, that's when we're at our best. And most people are reaching right now. :)

If I sound either closed-minded and elitest or insightful and wise, it's probably an illusion. I'm feeling enigmatic today. Tomorrow I will believe something different. :)

[kaigou.livejournal.com]

Opera's so often disdained for being inaccessible, but it's meant to showcase the voice above all else, even if you don't know the meaning of the words. And a voice like that man's, such clarity and truth, amazing... but it was especially amazing to see judges -- expected to be rather jaded and cruel -- sitting there transfixed... and then to see the ovation took me from chills to tears. I can only imagine how absolutely wonderful that must've been to experience, for a man otherwise so easily dismissed the rest of the time.

Thank you for posting this.

Inspired song choice

[mareklamo.livejournal.com]

[Opera is] meant to showcase the voice above all else, even if you don't know the meaning of the words

Nessun dorma certainly showcased Mr Potts's voice. The words he was singing were also very appropriate: "Vincerò!" (I shall win!).