As a child, one of the most difficult things I had to deal with was when my father abandoned our family. In my family there had always been financial difficulties, which leads to a lot of fighting and bickering between my parents. I just believed that how things were, though, of course it hurt to see it. However, as time progressed I saw the emotional distance between my parents grow, until there was nothing but silence. Not too long after I noticed this silence is when my father left.
To be honest, what I felt most upon coming home from school and seeing all his belongings gone was relief. I was relieved to think the tension between my parents would no longer be there. I was relieved to not have to tiptoe around my father out of fear he might become angry. The relief eventually turned to fear and anxiety. Growing up in a home filled with tension, I learned early on to take on the worries and anxieties of my parents, and then mother. After my father left, I knew money would become an even greater issue than it was before.
I knew my mother would have to work even harder to support us financially. I then decided that I would do what I could to help out. While I was too young to go out and get a job, I found I could do small things, at home to help out. I helped to clean and keep watch over my younger siblings. I learned to cook, which is an activity I enjoy till this day. Even at a young age I found I was able to contribute to help our family manage. In reminisces, I find it hard to believe that I did overcome the handful responsibilities which I could not imagine these days.
As I grew older, and when things got really tough, we found food pantries would donate to us and when we could, we donated to these pantries. As a teenager an after graduating from high school, I returned the favor that was given to us by volunteering at food pantries or participating in food drives to help gather canned food to be distributed to those in need. The biggest lesson all of this has taught me is that we, as humans, cannot and were not meant to survive on our own.
One of the biggest problems I think that lays at the heart of American culture is our individualistic nature. We pride ourselves on doing thing on our own and “rugged individualism. ” These are good qualities, in moderation. The problem is, many of these notions have been taken to the extreme. People were meant to thrive in community with one another. As a child, I learned that people are stronger and better when they work together. This is a life lesson I will carry with me until the end of my life because it is what I truly believe in.
