You are on an expedition to found a colony on Mars, when from a nearby crater, a group of sentient Martian beings suddenly emerges. They seem eager to communicate, but they're the impatient kind and demand you represent the human race in one song, image, memory, mathematical proof, or other idea. What song, image, etc. do you share with them to show that humanity is worth their time?

My back is up against the (crater) wall. My space suit is running low on oxygen. A group of green people are forcing me to represent an 8 billion-strong population. Suddenly, without any hesitation or expectation, I break out into interpretive and suggestive dance, all while “Canned Heat” by Jamiroquai is playing.

"Canned Heat" is the song featured in Napoleon Dynamite to which Napoleon, the main character, dances to support his friend Pedro’s campaign for Student Body President. The record features low 808 baselines accompanied by groovy drums and upbeat strings.

Napoleon wiggles to the song like a worm: but not like a worm struggling on some pavement in the rain. He moves as if he were the visual embodiment of such a perfect musical masterpiece.

Imagine, if you will, the awe on the Martians’ faces as I replicate this dance with some personal flame added, of course. In Napoleon Dynamite, the students watching the performance are star-struck: absolutely speechless. I will afford the Martians the same experience. I will move my body in such a way that will demonstrate to my Martian friends the beauties and capabilities of the human body. The suggestions featured in the dance will manifest to them the power and imagination of the human mind. The choreographic cohesion with the music will perfectly embody the human spirit, full of life and connected to every other part of our magnificent persona.

My Martian associates will be left in awe. How can a body move like that? What motivates humans to do things like this? And why is it pleasing to the eye and leave my soul hungering for more?

All in all, the human race is full of life, mystery, and diversity. I will leave the Martians with more questions in their minds than when I started the dance. But, I am sure that this will show them that our human potential is vast, even infinite. Thus, they will see that humanity is well worth their time.

What are the peculiarities of your own personal language (and it need not be English, although your essay needs to be). Consider the voice you use when speaking most intimately to yourself or your family, the vocabulary that spills out when you’re startled, or special phrases and gestures that no one else seems to use or even understand and tell us how your language makes you unique.

Language is the vehicle for which we deliver complex and sometimes illogical information — conceptualized based on our emotions and previous experiences. That language and conceptualization is different for every person. I’m sure that if we could see into each other’s inner worlds and hear each other’s inner dialog, we would see just how diverse and unique every individual in this world is. I feel emotions deeply and find that my sensitivity is one of my favorite personal traits. However, I have always struggled to find the words in any language to adequately express those strong feelings. It is that dilemma that caused me to turn to music.

Music is the language of pure emotion. You can find ways to express even the most illogical and complex feelings through a song. When I am on stage, I can simultaneously speak to the masses while also speaking most intimately to the individual. Through any instrument, I can open the window into my inner world and communicate what words cannot. Whether it be jazz improvisation or a contemporary melody, my voice and interpretation are mine alone. It is extraordinary. I can reach even the most closed-off heart through my music. I lay out for everyone to see the things only God and myself comprehend. Even when I don’t have an instrument in hand, I have found ways to share concepts through the lyrics of songs. I am not lucky enough to have a singing voice that anyone would want to hear, but my mind is a vast library of lyrics that I can pull from on-demand, to inspire me when I speak and write. Even within this essay, I have leaned on music to help me conceptualize the written ideas I want to share with you, the reader. Music is the sound of emotion, and it is a language anyone from anywhere can understand.