Master Class: Oprah Winfrey

I have always had a thirst for knowledge, my father instilled that in me. When he was younger he was tested on his IQ, he tested fairly high; labeled as gifted. Against my father's wishes, my mother had my sister and I tested, and we were both tested as gifted children. I have always felt that I was maybe not more mature in my behavior than my peers, but years ahead of them in my understanding of things. As a teenager my thirst for knowledge could not be quenched. I would think about any and everything whenever I was given the chance to. Fast forward years later to a time where my intellect has now caught up to my mature understanding, and my thirst quenched by information through documentaries.
Oprah Winfrey's show Master Class is an absolute joy for me to watch. I have now watched two episodes, the first one starring Jay-Z, the second being Oprah herself. Understanding and knowing a lot about Jay-Z, there wasn't too much outside of his own opinion and reflections that I have not already read, heard, or seen on television already. The episode about Oprah was very different. Knowing not too much about her story, I was not only captivated by her struggles, inspired by her drive, but more importantly joyful with the person she has become.

For those who are unaware of Oprah's story, and are only sure of her status probably don't know that her road was not an easy one. Growing up in Mississippi during the days of racism and segregation, moving to her mother's house in the midwest and dealing with color descrimination within her own people, rape, molestation, pregnancy, and all the other things a young woman goes through. Most would crumble underneath pressure like that, but some of us turn into ashes in preparation for that Phoenix to rise.
Watching this I felt as if Oprah was talking directly to me. A lot of her reflection on situations in her life, I could feel on a deeper level. I have been to some of the places shes been, not literally, but through her words I could feel what it was like for her.
Without writing an entire paper on this, I'll leave saying this. Sometimes the words of others can touch you in a way that their hands can't. And when that happens, it is all the time, that those words stay with you longer than their touch. Oprah's words touched me.