Brianna Brown - 3B - Centennial High School

March 31, 2017

Topic: Musical Performance/Education
Event Evaluated: Book recommended by Dr. Holt

Mentor Assignment #3

Inscribed on the five of the six pillars in the Holocaust Memorial at Quincy Market in Boston are
stories that speak of the cruelty and suffering in the camps. The sixth pillar presents a tale of a
different sort, about a little girl named Ilse, a childhood friend of Guerda Weissman Kline, in
Auschwitz. Guerda remembers the Ilse, who was about six years old at the time, found one
morning a single raspberry somewhere in the camp. Ilse carried it all day long in a protected
place in her pocket, and in the evening, her eyes shining with happiness, she presented it to her
friend Guerda on a leaf. Imagine a world, writes Guerda. In which your entire possession is
one raspberry, and you give it to your friend.

The above is an excerpt from the book The Art of Possibility, a book that I have written
about in an earlier Mentor Assessment. In this assessment, I will be covering another two
practices that the book covers titled Being a Contribution and Rule Number Six respectively.
These practices will impact how I view and execute my job, rather than how I will impact others
during my career.
Being a Contribution, the name sound self-explanatory, but it holds a deeper meaning.
Many today view themselves and their work in comparison with others around them and with all
that focus going to being concerned about how others are doing, time and energy is being lost to
the individual. This practice removes that unnecessary focus from others and returns it to the
individual completely, while also inspiring them to work harder. When we focus on being a
contribution, we no longer care about what others are doing, and instead begin to judge ourselves
to our own standards. This is important, because when working in large groups (for example, and
orchestra) many will shrink in the abyss of others ideas and thoughts, fearing that our own may
not live up to their standards. The group will work more effectively when every single person is
contributing and giving their all to whatever it may be that requires their attention. When an
individual begins to judge themselves for their accomplishments, rather than having another
judge them, most of the time they tend to strive for greater things after realizing the potential that
they hold. Many might look at the surface of this and think that it may sound a little childish or
unrealistic (similar to the views against the practice of Giving an A), but this practice is not
meant to award the lazy, nor is it to give participation credit to those who fail. Instead, it
seeks to ensure many that they do have some hidden brilliance, and with a little confidence and
execution, great things may be achieved. Imagine a world in which every person was similar to
Ilse, the girl from the above story. Imagine a world in which the single raspberry symbolized the
ideas and innovations that each individual holds. It is a world in which everyone finally
understands what their purpose is, a world where there is no fear of the quality of what others
may offer, but rather an excitement to improve what one is offering. It is a world in which
Guerda symbolizes aspects such as a career, family, a loved one, or even art. It is a world in
which we will happily present that raspberry of ours, our entire world, to the thing we love or
want most. This is what the practice of Being a Contribution strives towards.
Another practice is Rule Number Six, a name taken from a short story about two
ministers who must deal with frenetic people daily. When a person approaches the ministers
(often in a complete state of panic, chaos, or anger), one minister mollifies them by saying
Remember rule number six. After the fifth person, the other minister turns to him and says,
My dear friend, Ive seen many things in my life, but never anything as remarkable as this.
Would you be willing to share with me the secret of rule number six? The other minister simply
replies, Rule Number Six is dont take yourself so g--damn seriously. After a moment of
pondering this, the bewildered minister then asks, And the other rules?

There are no other rules.

Rule Number Six can be tricky to understand at first. Many misunderstand it for meaning that
they shouldnt care about others or themselves and live wildly; however, this is not the case at
all. In times of dire stress and exhaustion, we tend to lose temper quickly or a breakdown
becomes more inevitable with each passing second. This is quite normal, but the impact of such
emotions can often have detrimental effects on an individual, their work, and others around them.
This is where Rule Number Six comes into play. The practice says that in such times of chaos,
one should pause and take a look at the bigger picture. Instead of taking every little detail of
inconvenience as life altering, it is better to come at the problem from a different approach. This
involves taking a look at a persons two selves, the calculating self and the central self.
These are explained heavily and in great detail in the book, but a quick version of the definitions
go like the following:

Calculating Self - This is the part of a person that is logical. It is constantly making decisions
and judgments based upon how the outcome or situation is going to impact them.

Central Self- This is the part a person that truly links to their personality. Decisions are based on
emotions and truth, rather than calculations and probabilities.

Both aspects of a person are essential, but in times of disorder, the calculating self can often
become a hindrance to the person. Their calculating self starts to focus on what they are doing
wrong and how their failure will destroy them in some aspect. Rule Number Six emphasizes
that the central self is more important during these times, as it is often more open to change and
looking at the problem from new angles and perspectives. It is a practice that can ultimately save
time, frustration, and many other things that can become damaged.
I plan to use these practices in my future career often, if not daily. As a musician and
teacher, it can become extremely easy to fall into both traps of either not feeling adequate enough
or becoming too stressed and anxious to make proper decisions. By implementing these two
practices, it will make it so that I remain as determined and logical as possible in every and any
time. In such a highly competitive world (this of course is referring to the world of
professional musicians specifically) it will give me the motivation to continue doing what I love,
while also allowing me to perform and teach to my best possible ability. To the art of music, a
small Guerda, perhaps I can make an impact, just as Ilse did by giving it my world.