"The completion of happiness is not to fill your own life, but to fill the hearts of others."

When I think about what this means, I think it means that we should be supportive of each other, because none of us are perfect.

As a music lover, when I'm watching YouTube, I'm constantly getting algorithmic music recommendations, and one I've been paying attention to lately is the annual America's Got Talent (AGT). I don't have time to watch all the contestants, but there are certain moments that stand out. It was Indonesian Putri, who got the golden buzzer from the demanding and cold Simon.

She is blind, 17 years old, and a high school student. Among other things, she is a singer-songwriter who writes and sings her own songs. That's what she sang at the very beginning. She can't see anything, but she sings of happiness, of the completion of happiness in the world she can see, and I think it touched the cranky Simon's heart and made him move his feet and use his hands to press the Golden Buzzer that sent him through to the finals.

I watched Putri sing. She sings while playing the piano herself. Her high-pitched voice was extraordinary, and I thought it was one of the most heavenly songs I've ever heard. She was wearing beautiful makeup on a world stage. This is where my thoughts began to focus. She is blind and can hear her own music. But she can't see herself singing on that big stage with her heavenly voice.

What is she seeing as she sings? Suddenly, I'm reminded of Beethoven's Fate Symphony, which he wrote after he lost his hearing. He had created a magnum opus, and he couldn't hear it. What must have been going through his mind? I try to imagine. Most musicians can see and hear recordings of their performances, even if they can't see them in person. Many actors can see and hear their performances on screen after they're finished.

But while 17-year-old Putri could hear and feel the cheers of so many people at the golden buzzer, she will never be able to see what it was like for her. Nonetheless, she considers herself a happy person, because her idea of happiness is to fill the hearts of others.

As I finish Putri's story, I close my eyes and pray. May we live our lives as if we were playing the beautiful harmonies of Christianity in the midst of our daily lives, and may we receive the Golden Buzzer from God through the fruits of our lives.