Mild Jujutsu Kaisen spoilers up to Shibuya Arc.

There are talents that we are born with. There are things on this earth that we are naturally good at. This is something well known.

There are geniuses and prodigies that are famous because they are naturally gifted at art or sport or are gifted academically.

That doesn’t mean they don’t work. Even though they are naturally good at those things they still work, it just comes easier to them.

As a society we hype up people who are naturally gifted way more than those who work at it. We only tend to hype up those who work at it if they are uber famous or become billionaires. But what about at the grass roots level?

I was thinking about Taeyong and how when he started his trainee period he could not dance. He could not dance at all. However, he worked hard. He learned from the instructors and he practised and practised till he is where he is now.

Imagine, he went from being a poor dancer to one of the best in his company. If he had not said he started off bad I would never have known.

Now imagine if he had never been given the opportunity to learn. Imagine if the company had insisted he focus only on rapping (imagine it’s not a kpop company).

He didn’t even know dance was a thing he would come to enjoy and yet he enjoyed it. It became a passion of his.

The same is true for San of Ateez. He also started off as a bad dancer and now he’s the passionate dancer so many know and love. He lights the stage on fire and has great musicality. Fans love to watch him dance because of how he brings life to a performance.

However, what if he had decided to become a ballad singer and never dance? He had the pipes. He already was a singer. What if someone had discouraged him and told him he would never be able to dance?

Words have power you know. I have heard of teachers who have told two people I know how they would never be able to do *insert subject here*. For one person it served as fuel to their fire. They did it, and succeeded, out of spite. The other person took it to heart and gave up essentially.

The one thing I liked about the British education system, at least when I was in school, was that you could try almost everything. I did dance, drama, music, textiles… they had me in the lab sawing wood! I did almost every subject that one could do in a school building. I got to explore many sides to myself.

Now, the UK isn’t perfect because you can get shit teachers who tell you you won’t amount to anything or that you’ll never improve at a certain subject. Or sometimes the classes are too big that some students tend to get left behind. But I do like that there is a wide variety of subjects to do.

As a society we tend to pigeon hole people. If you’re a singer why are you acting? You’re an actor why are you quitting to become a mathematician? You’re a model, why are you so well read?

It’s like we decide what a person is and they can only be that for the rest of their lives. Or we think if we missed the window when we were young there is no hope for us in the future.

There is hope! I’ve seen elderly people learn how to lift (weights) and vastly improve their life. I’ve seen older people learn how to dance or ice skate!

My mom learned how to swim in her 40s. She also learned how to drive in her 40s.

As long as you are willing you can learn something at any age. It may take longer, but you can do it.

Also, comparison is the thief of joy. Take Suguru vs Satoru, the pinnacle of nature vs nurture. Suguru had to work hard to become as good as he was. He had to work and work to be the best. Satoru was a natural born genius. When Suguru got in his head he downplayed his abilities so much. When he was taken over by Kenjaku, Kenjaku was doing things with his ability that I don’t think even Suguru knew he could do. You see what happens when you look down on yourself. Sure, it took you longer to get there but you got there didn’t you?

Moreover, Satoru valued Suguru. He never looked down on him and truly saw him as his equal (before Toji, but I believe Suguru could have levelled up too if the school had heard of therapy). It’s true not all geniuses are like Satoru, i.e. Sheldon, but ignore the haters and focus on the people who value you and your skill.

Also, do not be your own stumbling block. The biggest obstacle for Suguru was himself, his own mind and his own insecurities. Of course, I have all the hate for the higher ups and Toji for what he did to those kids. I don’t love the Jujutsu Kaisen world because really it seems the writer had them destined to fail. But, in another universe where therapy was a thing and Gege didn’t hate happiness Suguru would be a monster of a sorcerer. He and Satoru would be the best still, as a team, and maybe they would figure out a way to stop curses from forming. But therapy and rest was key because he had a lot internally that he had to overcome.

If you have the same stumbling blocks then seek help, don’t go through things alone. Don’t live in your head talking down to yourself. You have potential and it will remain there waiting to be used even until you are old.

In conclusion, your potential may be more than what you have envisioned for yourself. You may have an untapped skill. And I’m not one of those people who thinks you should monetise everything. It is fun finding a new skill and building on it and it really improves your daily life and your mental health. It can bring joy and colour to the monotony of adulthood.

 

P.S.: I’ve been shitting on Toji but he is also an example of untapped potential. His family was so stuck on their ways that they wasted an excellent sorcerer. Imagine Toji healthy and fighting curses! He came back in Shibuya arc and bodied that curse that four people struggled against! Oooh that family made me mad! And yes, I blame them for all the problems in JJK.