Format the following passage properly, for storytelling purposes:

Throughout my life, I have understood the importance of taking the high road, of being careful with the battles we choose to fight. Despite this understanding, and more often than I would care to admit, I've nonetheless gone into battle over causes which ultimately were not so important in the long run, unwittingly severing ties with people who may have gone on to be lifelong allies. I have weaponized vocabulary sharpened over a lifetime, but particularly in the last fifteen years as my interest in hip-hop grew, repurposing and shaping it into the form of a sword capable--when my indignation, be it righteous or unjustifiable, reaches its apex--of slashing the egos of even the most mentally unbreakable adversaries. In the last few months, I made a vow to a friend of mine to use my words for peace alone, to live strictly for positivity, to serve a purpose in this world that is greater than seeking the satisfaction of emerging victorious against imaginary antagonists. Oftentimes, our opponents in this world become such not by destiny, not by fate, but by our own foolish pride. There is an element in me, an element I am sure can be found in the majority of human beings, that is naturally inclined to feel a sense of hurt when we perceive ourselves as having been slighted by the people, places, and things around us. When I feel a disturbance in my universe it triggers a fight or flight response. Though there are situations in which we cannot physically leave an area without complications or consequences, we always have the power to mentally vacate the premises, to give our minds a break from the moments where feelings of frustration come over us. Even in benign situations, an idle brain is susceptible to deceptions and misconceptions that make us question our perceptions. It could be as simple as something that happened to me today: while I was sitting here at my desk minding my business, one of our therapists put her information on the corresponding sign-in sheet. I wished her a good day as she left--she hadn't said anything to me after coming in, not even a hello, and if I was supposed to be the initiator in this dance I had apparently missed my cue--and heard her say 'I'm not talking to you' or something to that effect. I had a couple of initial instincts, and successfully fought them both off. One was to call for her by name over the walkie-talkie, ask for her to come to the front desk, and get clarification from her in regards to what she had said (my subsequent 'excuse me?' response, which wasn't even said with malice but rather curiosity, was met with the briefest turn of the head and no eye contact, as she moved forward to meet up with Evelyn). The other was to leave a note for her on the sign in sheet. In both cases, it seemed vain and superfluous to go so far over something that in all likelihood was probably a misunderstanding. On the one hand calling for someone over the walkie-talkie puts them in a naturally vulnerable position, as it necessitates facilitation of completing a task. These people have a priority to take care of and look out for the many wonderful young students here at the achievement center; having them come here simply for clarification on something said in passing is not only petty but selfish. I'm old enough and wise enough to know better in these circumstances, but nonetheless it's a matter of the ego being compromised, or hopes and dreams being met with an unexpected end result, that puts me in the unfavorable position of even entertaining the notion. On the other hand when a message is written on a communal sheet of paper, it will be there not only for its intended recipient to witness, but for the eyes of others to gaze upon. Crossing it out only brings more attention to it, provided you are asked or feel inclined of your own volition to eliminate its presence, and white-out is not good to waste over such trivialities. In times of peace and strife I have found that the arts are the best sanctuary there is. When my feelings are tested I know I can pass the test when I let things go, knowing they too will pass. Ironically, at the time I started writing this particular piece, birds began chirping in near-perfect timing with me typing the first letter of the first word. I cannot help but interpret it as a sign that even with all of the chaos that persists in our world, there are still more wonderful things to look forward to. Whether it is the satisfaction that comes with a job well done when you are in a professional environment, or the blissful 'happy places' in which we impermanently reside through immersion in hobbies and passions, there is so much good to go around in this world that it makes the disapproval of a few worth very little in the grand scheme of things. I am perfectly content with being someone who people feel should be seen and not heard, because I realize that the people who are not interested in seeing me were never meant to see me, and the people who have no interest in hearing me were never meant to hear me. I continue to exist, and continue to express myself, knowing that those who I am meant for will see me and hear me. Those who are destined to play a role in my life, to have an influence that extends beyond sub-minute-long waiting room encounters, will be able to relate. I feel a temporary spike in my blood pressure having mellowed down into a state of calm; in time with my fingers typing the words you are now reading, the sounds of Yukihiro Takahashi's album "Once A Fool" quietly resonate through the speakers of an all-in-one HP computer. I feel peaceful again, as I remember the philosophy of Stoicism, the idea that we cannot control what others do but we can always find a way to control how we react to them. A smile of satisfaction temporarily inverts my neutral reservations.

Reflecting on my earliest experiences with language, with music, it is difficult for me to recall everything that set me on a road to becoming a 'word savant'. Of course, I am deeply grateful for the kind words others have shared with me about my command of the English language, and twice as thankful for all the constructive criticism I have received, as well as the conversations and suggestions that have informed my writing from the first time I put a pencil to paper. As a child, I vividly remember the book "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch, but it was not until I became an adult that I gained a proper perspective on Munsch's true eminence as a children's writer--at the time "Love You Forever" was released it marked his fourteenth book published, and at the time of his retirement in 2021 he had published ninety-nine books. Had it not been for a dementia diagnosis, he almost certainly would have made it one hundred, the final feather in the cap of a career that saw him publish books in five different decades. It is a book that my mother read to me almost every night when I was a child, but I couldn't recite it from memory if you asked me to; it has been far too many years. Revisiting it now, I can better appreciate the exuberance of his storytelling and his mastery of simplicity. By the time I was three years old I already had a basic capacity for understanding linguistic fundamentals, enough of a vocabulary to recognize certain words and have an emotional attachment, positive or negative, to those words. I faintly recall my mother arguing with my biological father, most likely about his infidelity, when I was either two or three years old. While I did not understand most of what they said, my mind was at a developmental stage such that I could grasp cadences and tones, that sounds could register as pleasant or unpleasant. Though I have always been an emotionally driven human by nature, I cannot recall if I cried over what I was hearing. By the time I was four years old, my vocabulary had started to grow and I could now talk in complete sentences, and from then on I gradually became better at holding conversations. It took a while before I had enough confidence to start discussions, as I had become comfortable with engaging upon others' initiation. During my youth certain shows, such as Sesame Street and Arthur, were staples in our household. Those programs served as significant foundational milestones in my development of verbal proficiency, as did pretty much everything on Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon back in those days (especially the Cartoon Cartoon lineup). Initially, I engaged in what Evelyn refers to as 'scripting', whereby I attempted to replicate what I was hearing, not only the words themselves but cadences and tones with which those words were articulated. Through this imitation process, I became effective at emulating what I had been exposed to, right down to the accents and other idiosyncrasies inherent within how some characters spoke, and could recite most of an episode of any given show from memory. I see a lot of these traits reflected within the students here at the achievement center, including one student in particular who I share a van with during weekday transportation home. Disney soundtracks were staples in our home, and I distinctly remember having several CDs with various pieces from shows and movies, including one especially fascinating disc that had the themes from Duck Tales, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, and Darkwing Duck among others. I listened to that one almost every day, until certain tracks started to skip. I remember listening to a multitude of new age and classical works, old-school Hawaiian music from the 1970s, a cassette with the Dirty Dancing soundtrack on it, the list goes on and on. I had become an indiscriminate consumer of creativity, absorbing it like a sponge in all the forms it takes, and have held onto that passion ever since. It even comes into play during the writing process, as I discover and revisit albums and learn more about the artists who created them. As of the time I write this I am listening to "Crazy Moon" by Himiko Kikuchi (from her third album "All Right"). Kikuchi is one among an impressive collection of musicians who I classify as 'unknown soldiers', their works confined to the tomb of obscurity as most of them were not given a chance to sign release contracts in Western countries or arrange for international distribution. Until the birth of the Internet, unless you lived in Japan or had a friend who managed to bring a copy overseas, there was no way to hear the innovations she showcased on this album and adroitly demonstrated across her twelve studio albums. I remember when the Scholastic Book Fairs would come to my school, and the experience of being surrounded by all of these different books manifested within me a voracious appetite for literature. Whatever I could get my hands on, I loved to read. From the vain and profane to works that stimulate the brain, I took it all in. The last and arguably most significant paradigm shift happened when I was in high school and began a 'romance' with hip-hop, which blossomed into a marriage that will likely continue to the end of my life. Kool Moe Dee was the first emcee I profoundly respected for his poetic prowess; I became a fan after hearing "Let's Go" and took it upon myself to learn more about him, to hear all of his works that I could find, which is how I ended up learning about the Treacherous Three and eventually hearing their song "Gotta Rock", which has served as a blueprint not only for when I write rhymes but for all of my writing. Ironically, it was not Moe Dee who turned out to be the biggest influence on me but his colleague Special K, whose verse on "Gotta Rock" is arguably one of the greatest ever written. I provided two quotables from it in an earlier piece, but now offer it in its entirety for your delectation:

"I want to be in a position like Simon /
'Cause what Simon says to do, you do /
Even the pessimistic respond in a manner of blind obedience /
As if obligatory, not so fastidious, dictatorial /
Just facilitated orders, carried out /
I want to be a combination of many things /
My conscious intention is to make you shout /
I'll conceive a cybernetic evaluation of a raw sensation /
Coordinated strength comes in the rhyme /
Every measure of beat designed to be on time /
Stuffed with style, coated with an element stronger than steel /
For real, and in a battle of wits, I always win /
'Cause I'm charged with the energy of fifty men /
My rap is never wack, 'cause I take the time /
To please the people who might want me, I'm not nickel and dime /
I might do it for free, or do it for a fee /
Either way it's gonna be a delight to see /
I have unlimited courage, deliberate moves /
A voice to enlighten, comfort, and soothe /
My mind once feeble, now sharp as a needle /
Knowledge is pungent and nourishing to me /
I can say for sure excitement is a law /
And wherever it's at, that's where I'll be /
'Cause I took this job, now I'm committed /
It was perfectly fitted, and I'm glad I did it /
As far as I'm concerned, I'm a brilliant, vivacious /
Man that decided to be self-made /
I'll make you shake and shiver, I'll always deliver /
I'm a prominent person in the music trade."

There is so much to break down within this verse, and it is still hard to believe it was written in 1985. In many ways it anticipated the rise of emcees such as Rakim, Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane, along with groups such as Project Blowed and the Ultramagnetic MCs (who were more directly influenced by the Treacherous Three, building specifically on Special K's formulas to create their guard-changing "Ego Trippin'" in 1986). In this verse, Special K delves into themes of power, ambition, musical mastery, and self-improvement. It starts with a comparison to the children's game "Simon Says", which he uses as a metaphor for influence and control. Through the invocation of Simon, Special K suggests he wants to hold a similar kind of sway where his words command action. He uses highly creative metaphors throughout the verse, comparing his desire to be versatile ("a combination of many things"), his mind ("once feeble, now sharp as a needle") and his strength to an element "stronger than steel". He employs vivid, abstract, complex imagery - "cybernetic evaluation" conjures up images of futuristic and technological precision, while "charged with the energy of fifty men" paints a picture of immense power and vitality. There is a consistent use of parallelism, particularly with the repetitions of "I'll make", "I'm a" and "I'm charged", which provides a rhythmic flow and a persuasive certainty about his lyrical capabilities. The verse features assonance ("I always win / 'Cause I'm charged with the energy"), and consonance ("My mind once feeble, now sharp as a needle"), which make the delivery pleasant to the ears and enhance the poetic nature of the lyrics. There is a significant use of internal rhyme throughout the verse, especially with lines like "My rap is never wack, 'cause I take the time / To please the people who might want me, I'm not nickel and dime." Special K describes himself as one who has "unlimited courage" and is "brilliant, vivacious", both of which are creative examples of braggadocio that can be connected to a recurring theme in hip-hop of emcees boasting about personal attributes, skills, and social status. Lest the listener be led to believe that he has ambitions of becoming a Hitler-esque ruler, amid the communication of his ambitions Special K presents himself as an inspirational figure, not just in a position of power but also as someone offering comfort ("A voice to enlighten, comfort, and soothe") as well as excitement to his audience. Special K's verse is densely packed with internal rhymes and end rhymes, both of which create a smooth flow that is characteristic of modern hip-hop music but was not so common when this song came out. The scheme tends to follow an AA/BB or AAA/BBB pattern in many places, allowing for a tight rhythmic structure that emphasizes his skillful wordplay. Ultimately, this verse showcases the mastery of Special K as a lyricist and performer. The lyrics suggest a strong desire for control, influence and respect in the music industry, while also communicating growth from a "feeble" past to a commanding present, and an altruistic nature alongside a deep dedication to the craft of hip-hop. Combining boasting, skill, intellect, and emotional intelligence, he encapsulates the dualities often present in the genre--the desire for both material success and cultural contribution--but does it in a more poetic way than anyone had ever done at the time, or has arguably ever done since. For those who are interested in knowing more about Special K, Kevin Beacham has written a couple of fantastic articles ("Microphone Mathematics") that can be found on the Rhymesayers Entertainment website or with a quick Internet search. There is one more interesting thing to be noted about Special K, and it's not something that most people would know, even taking into consideration those who are 'in the know'. In his own verse on Gotta Rock, Kool Moe Dee--who later achieved great success as a solo artist and created several enduring hip-hop classics, including "How Ya Like Me Now", "I Go to Work", and "Wild Wild West"--has some very interesting insights of his own to share, though his verse is much more conventional by comparison (but still unorthodox by the standards of the time). I will not share his entire verse or go into a deep analysis of the literary devices he uses, but do want to highlight the second half of the verse: "You ducks keep imitating me / Fifty percent of rappers are clones of Moe Dee / Tryna use big words so they can seem smarter / Deepen their voices so they can rock harder / But to be a connoisseur, there's much more to it / And outside of me, not many can do it / So imitation rappers that have proven you're soft / Why don't you give me a break and just get off? / Because no matter how hard you try, you'll see / Although you might be Kool, you're not Moe Dee / Because it's getting out of hand and I can't ignore it / In '85, I'm not going for it!" The verse serves as a powerful and effective reminder of Moe Dee's impact on lyrical advancement in hip-hop, but ironically Moe Dee did not usher in the 'big word' style of which he speaks. The song which popularized it was "It's Yours" by T La Rock, who is Special K's older brother, and aside from this one occasion (where Special K served as ghostwriter), wrote all his own material. As fate would have it, Special K wrote the song for himself and was to record it as a single for Def Jam, a newly formed production company whose distribution was then handled by Streetwise Records, but could not due to his contractual obligations with Sugarhill Records, so he gave it to his big brother. It gives Special K the very unique distinction of having written the first record for what ended up becoming Def Jam Records, which basically means LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Ja Rule, 3rd Bass, the Beastie Boys, and many others have him to thank for their careers. I have Special K to thank for my evolution as a writer.