2009. 10. 13. 14:40ㆍ대학
A Lesson from Life
I have four siblings. Well, that is sort of debatable. It depends on whether you count a brother who
has passed away or not. Not much longer
than a year ago one of my brothers passed away, and the situation has remained
a rather powerful event.
Everything started on a regular
day, Father’s Day of 2001, in the beginning of June. My family went and played softball that day,
as we did each week. My brother, Ricky,
who usually enjoyed playing, didn’t show up.
After a while we began to worry, and the situation progressed into a
search including the police and many other individuals. I was taken into a world of unusual events
meeting people who I had never met previously and being involved in some gloomy
jobs, such as the posting of Missing posters at as many busy locations as we
could find. After all of the hard work
in searching and time spent, my sister got a call from my parents that the
police had called them and wanted to meet at my parent’s house to say
something. Even though my sister was the
only one who was told directly, it was obvious by the solemn and eerily calm
ride to the house what had happened.
After arriving, the premonitions were verified, Ricky had been found,
but in the most unwanted way. Dead.
The situation proceeded for the
most part as a blur, memories of that time becoming somewhat shaken and
unclear, with the funeral wake being the next event with any clarity. Even then, only one thing really stands out
to me as being unexpected. My ability to
go up and give a speech, voluntarily, without time for preparation, when
normally my own shyness and quiet personality would have disallowed it was that
one thing. With shaky, nervous hands, I
delivered my message, which was accepted by the people at the funeral with open
hearts, a message dealing with my brother, and how we cannot afford to waste
even a drop of life from our own existence.
After looking back to the entire
ordeal as a whole, many other examples of this same message are to be
seen. With the large number of people
willing to come together and give their support for a common cause, with the
type of people willing to help as varied as could be. Every type of person from the closest friends
of my brother to strangers who really didn’t know him well, offered their
assistance in whatever way possible. The
strength given by all of the people involved makes the importance of life to
everyone, and myself, all the clearer.
The entire situation, and each
specific experience stemming from it, came together to be the kind of happening
that changes a person who says change will not happen, and brings together
people who have strayed apart. I changed
and am able to see how the importance of life is not in the perfect choice or
the flawless path, but in the choices that lead to new experiences and in the
ability to reach out even further for life.
Reference :http://www.hbci.com/.../Entrance__Essay.doc