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It has been a month already. It seems like it has gone by fast here. It’s probably because I have stayed so busy. It’s been an experience so far. On this cruise, I have really come to appreciate people for who they are. I can’t stop thinking about what Steve said about he thinks it’s just in my nature to make things cool for everyone around me. I think he is right.

I was thinking about people’s potential. I know just about everyone in life has great capability, or at least the possibility for it, but for some reason it seems like most people abandon their inspiration at some point. Maybe most people defer their potential in exchange for a lack of concern about the rest of the world, and simply focus on personal pleasure and satisfaction. It seems to me that more times than not, indulging only in private desires and needs leads to a buildup of unhappiness and an absence of fulfillment, realization, accomplishment and completion. I truly believe that the only way to fulfill one’s self is through strict integrity. By that I mean, no one can be happy or truly accept who they are without being brutally honest and straightforward with themselves. They can’t fool themselves. They have to go back and erase every lie they told themselves about themselves in the past, and resolve and complete every regret or upset on which they are hung up. They can’t be afraid of being compassionate, honest, or open with themselves, or else they will never be compassionate, honest, or open with anyone else.

I really want to make things better for people. I think I have had a positive impact, whether directly or indirectly, on most people on the ship. It bothers me though, to see people being destructive to one another, especially in the realm of self-actualization. By self-actualization, I mean, a person’s ability to truly be who they are and express their values, aspirations, and enthusiasm about those aspirations, to the fullest extent. I wish I was more adept at interdicting those types of occurrences, and inspiring others to do the same.

Today I saw one of the senior PO’s (BM2 Frank Galvan) yell at one of the junior PO’s. There was a chain of events that led up to the confrontation, but the senior guy called the junior guy a piece of shit and told him he had to have his guys sweep in the rain and a few other things. The junior guy, in my experience, is usually energetic, enthusiastic about learning, and, in my opinion, really makes an effort to do his job well and take care with his subordinates. I talked to the junior guy a little bit afterwards, and he told me that he had looked up to the senior guy and he felt hurt and felt like there was no reason to be motivated anymore due to the incident. I talked to him for a while about it, and left me knowing that he will press on with his endeavors. I believe what would be best would be for him to talk to the senior guy and at least resolve the incident for himself. But the thing I am pointing to is how I really don’t like to see people at that point, where they are considering total abandonment of their source for inspiration in life. In my opinion, that is one of the most heartbreaking things to see someone go through. I know that similar incidents are happening all the time, and they are not getting resolved, and if there is anything I can do to positively affect that, I’ll find a way to do it. The world needs more people who are inspired to the point where they are consumed and driven by that inspiration. When one of those flames dies, the world becomes a darker place.

Maybe we are all fighting to flourish, and many of us simply give up on our ability to do so, blaming whatever scapegoat is the most convenient. But I have a sense that I already am great, and that I am succeeding; and if other people are trying, I undertake that it’s my purpose in life to smooth the progress of others and inspire them to fulfill their own self-actualization. I finally have come to consider that maybe they are not all idiots, and maybe they just haven’t recognized and removed all the obstacles that are keeping them from being themselves.

I believe we could all benefit from honestly discussing who we are, and taking into consideration anything that may be detrimental to our personal relationships, and especially anything that may be detrimental to the way in which we relate to ourselves. Without being able to accept, to define and shape, and, most importantly, to express who we are, we are at the mercy of who others say that we are. And sometimes others are not so merciful.