My Favorite Rubik’s Cube
Benjamin Voller-Brown (15, USA)
During the spring of 2016 when I was only 15 years old, I got my first Rubik’s Cube. It was a Rubik’s brand Cube, but that did not matter to me. The only thing that mattered was that I was finally able to try to solve the infamous Rubik’s Cube. I treated this cube like my child, lubing and tensioning it, and keeping it healthy. Most new parents read parenting books; I read and memorized algorithms. It took me about a week to first learn how to solve it, and after memorizing all the beginners’ algorithms, I decided to time myself. I still remember my time to this day: 2:53. It was one of my proudest moments. I had finally solved the unsolvable. I ran to my mom and asked her to scramble it, the excitement flowing throughout my body. Finally, after thorough scrambling, she handed it to me with a doubtful look in her eye. As soon as I got the cube, I started solving. The White cross, done; white edges, done. I could see my mom’s mouth get wider with every step done. The first two layers were finally completed and my mom said, “you’re not going to finish it, the Rubik’s cube is impossible!” After finally permuting the last layer, my mom’s eyes got wide. For the first time in her life, she was completely speechless.
After that amazing endeavor, I started showing my friends the power of the cube. After showing my best friend, Roshan, he wanted to try it out. He had been struggling with his classes and free time because he was taking 3 AP classes during his sophomore year. While seeing him solve, I noticed a smile on his face for the first time in weeks. He was finally able to forget about schoolwork and have fun. I knew what I had to do. He had the same reaction I had that first day of solving. I showed him the basic beginner’s method. After 10 minutes of messing with the cube, he knew he had to give it back. I made sure that he had something that made him happy, and that was a Rubik’s Cube. I decided to pass on my Rubik’s brand Rubik’s cube and spent the entire day teaching him how to solve the infamous, unsolvable Rubik’s Cube. After months of solving, and occasionally borrowing my speed cube, my friend has now gotten to under one minute. His love for solving continues to this day.
Now the magic of this cube kept going for months. This cube was passed on from friend to friend and bringing the happiness and knowledge with it. Others may say that their precious 40 dollar cube is their favorite cube because they got a new personal best with it, however, the life story about one cube that brought happiness to many people is more important. Teaching, happiness, and connecting with people are more important than competition. My favorite cube, a basic beginners cube, does that, making the world a happier place. I still try to do this, passing on the knowledge of solving a cube to this day. The Rubik’s Cube brings triumph to whoever is using it, and the only true thing to do with a cube is to pass that happiness to others. My favorite puzzle has passed happiness off to many kids allowing one to make conversation and break down barriers, creating a multicolored rainbow of happiness.
