Sand

I went out to the beach the other day. It was nice. My feet dug into the sand, and with each step, the sand crawled back into the brief markings I had made upon the surface. I played some games and we were running, jumping and diving all over the soft surface of the sand. The sound of waves were calming and the cool breeze helped keep the heat in-check. We tried to dig a massive hole in the sand pit during the day. The sand came three different colors, and as we dug into the sand, the normal tan color was replaced by sedimentary layers of black and a darker brown sand. I always like seeing colors. It showed me how sediment had developed over time, and how at one point in history, there was some kind of volcanic eruption that caused the black sand. I wondered how many years into the past I was digging, just by uncovering a few feet, I may have let sand particles see the sky again for the first time in thousands of years. I always liked that sense of uncertainty in natures. I spent the entire day roaming this dusty plain and while the sand was soft in group, the individual particles began rubbing against my skin and invading my eye. Before I knew it, my legs were stinging from the sand burns, and my face had a small coat of sand that was thick enough to prevent me from being able to wipe it off with just my hand. I am not sure if this feeling is the origin of sandpaper but I would not be surprised if it was. These small particles clung to me with desperation. I think this shows me the power of the individual. In group, sand has very little effect on me, but as individual particles, the sand can bother me for hours. Those who follow the group, have very little significance, but those who act individually are extremely noticeable. We like to say that there is power in numbers. In a way, I believe in that, but if we look at the most influential people in the world, a lot of them act alone and almost all of them have ideas that are completely different to the norm. Kobe Bryant did not rely on anybody, but when it came down to winning, he was the most capable of them all. Some of the world’s richest and most powerful leaders, trust very little and are completely independent in their activity and thinking. That one guy who never gave up despite what everyone surrounding him said, the one guy who believes in his own cause, is the person who will change the world, that person is the particle of sand that has been eating at my skin under the waistband of my shorts.