[Campus Commentary]Believe in the possible

On March 4,1960 at the Met ropolitan Opera House in New York, Leonard Warren sang in “La Forza del Destino (The Force of Destiny),” an Italian opera by Giuseppe Verdi. The curtain dropped on a successful Act 2, and he went on to begin an aria in Act 3.
Singing a song of delight, “Oh! Gioia, gioia!” he fell face-down on the floor, coughing and gasping for air. All of a sudden, he was dead. He’d had a massive heart attack.
Some said he went completely off the deep end emotionally with the character and could not control his emotions. People praised him, calling him a great actor.
In theatrical circles, he became a major figure in dramatic anecdotes.
But in terms of theater aesthetics, which I am studying now, falling too deeply in love with the character can limit the character, and that’s not very desirable from the audience’s point of view.
Instead of trying to squeeze yourself into the character, you need to find yourself and create a unique character through you.
This can apply to everyone, not only actors.
A few months ago, I took the DISC personality type test that job recruiters use as a reference. DISC stands for Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness. The DISC personality behavioral model looks at one’s behavior based on personality and response to situations one finds himself in.
The results showed my personality fitting “Influence,” which meant I was the type to influence others through speaking and actions, and tend to be emotional. It showed I tend to be very sociable and outgoing. Moreover, I am convincing, magnetic, political, enthusiastic, persuasive, warm, demonstrative, trusting and optimistic. I nodded to a few of these.
There were very similar aspects to my own character and some I didn’t know I possessed. Before taking the test, however, I was advised, “Don’t totally depend on the results. It may serve as a good reference to understand your ego.”
The magazine Personnel Today reports: “It has been estimated that some 70 percent of United Kingdom organizations test their workforce either for personality or ability before making a job offer or conferring a promotion.”
Because companies want to know your DISC scores, many students preparing for a job take the test. However, we should possess other, more critical attributes than what the results tell you.
Being informed about my individuality, I am able to make up for weak points, using the test as reference. It gives me an opportunity to strengthen advantages and assets.
Lots of learning in school is considered less than practical; some absorb only fragmentary knowledge. In college we should develop the whole personality, not just knowledge and attainment, but also individuality.
If we define and frame ourselves as one thing, we will probably end up being limited. But we have many opportunities and possibilities.
In addition, a little effort can turn the seemingly impossible into a possibility.
I believe in the power of change; Insert a simple apostrophe in “Impossible” and voila, “I’m possible.”

*The writer is a reporter for the Sookmyung Times at Sookmyung Women’s University.

by Yun Ji-hye