Creative Writing: My Way: Passion and Belief - Essay Example

23 November My Way: Passion and Belief Who am I? What are my philosophies and what is it exactly that I want? These are questions that have grappled me for a long time, and after much soul searching and reflection, it is clear that I have an understanding of my wishes and desires and of myself as an individual. As a child, I liked dismantling different objects. Perhaps, that is what children do. However, I never stopped at the dismantling but tried to rebuild the objects that I had dismantled. What started out with Lego blocks was continued by the TAMIYA minicar I received on my fifth birthday. It was the best gift, I have ever received and, in hindsight the one which must have unwittingly set me on my goal. Dismantling the minicar with the help of my father, I learnt the importance of patience and focus; two important traits that have held me in good stead till today. By the end of middle school, I had already made some twenty different types of cars, including ones with mini motors. This is perhaps why engineering has always appealed to me, even before I knew the meaning of the word, I could feel in me the need to analyze and try to create new stuff and understand whether there could be alternate methods of creating the minicars. During middle school, in the midst of my burgeoning interest in all things mechanical, I met Peter. Peter was a shy boy, who hardly talked in class, and was known as one of the studious ones. Funnily enough, he had heard of my interest in minicars, mini-motors and mechanics. One day, he approached me and asked if he could help me build the minicars and the motors. I was apprehensive at first but did not really mind the extra help. You see, except for the initial work with my father in my formative years, I was a lone wolf. Hence, I was apprehensive and curious as to how this partnership would turn out. In fact, it turned out to be more than just some extra help. Peter taught me newer ways to look at the same stuff; he made the mundane seem extra-ordinary. This instilled in me a sense of understanding of the possibilities in all of us, characteristics, which though not easily visible can be unearthed and developed. He taught me how when faced with a stumbling block, contemplation is required and can often lead to inspired thinking and action. Even more important was my lesson in diversity. Peter taught me the importance of being different, and how being different was not something to be worried about. With his nerdy looks and shy demeanor, he showed me the way to confidence, and to have self belief. This got reflected in my work, as I strived to bring a difference between my work and that of others, whether it be the building of mini cars, making a difference in my community, or something as basic as standing up for my beliefs. Talking of beliefs, I am surrounded by neighbors, who would want nothing, but to send their children to the Ivy League schools. This clearly adds pressure on their children to conform, and to live the unfulfilled dreams of their parents. I remember Mr. Kim, my neighbor telling me how his son had done what he had only dreamt of long ago; got into Brown. Do not misunderstand me; I have nothing against the Ivies, and even less against my neighbors, and absolutely nothing against Mr. Kim. However, it is not in me to conform just for the sake of conformity. I think differently, and that is what I believe, will give me joy; because wherever, I go, I will be pleased. It is not the prestige of an institution, but the interest and dedication of the student that makes for a great learning process. I believe, I have it in me to succeed, no matter where I study. Why do I believe in myself so much? Well, it is because I am ‘crazy’. What I mean is that I am passionate about my interest, about myself and all that I do. I reflect on the events happening around me, on the things I see, feel or hear. I am constantly changing and being shaped, and more importantly thinking and making conscious decisions. As a kid, I remember my interaction with an adult student. I met her on the streets outside my house. She was sweet, and promised to buy me some chocolates, if I were to be a part of her assignment. I agreed readily. The ‘assignment’ involved me being taken to the big church three blocks away. This was a new church, not the one that I normally went to with my parents. I distinctly remember being given a big book, with lots of illustrations and being shown pictures of ‘God’. I was asked to behave well in school and at home with my parents. What really unsettled me, however, was the different representation of God between the two churches. While one maintained that God was invisible, the other one held that God was a Korean guy, who had died for the cause of all humanity. Furthermore, science held the prospect of there being no God or no higher power at all. As a result, I quit both the churches, perhaps because I was confused, undecided and to a certain extent even felt cheated, over the new questions raised over my beliefs. However, with time and further reasoning, I realized that faith and belief is something that is not dependent necessarily on facts or logic, and that faith denotes complete trust and confidence. It did not really matter whether God was invisible, Korean or even an alien. All that matters is having belief in you, to trust yourself to take the correct choice, and more importantly to stick to that choice. This is what I believe has made me who I am today. At twenty three, I am passionate about engineering and determined to do things my own way- with understanding, self-belief and with a difference. Then and Now: Effects of Science and Technology: My mother, Bok Hee Kang is an extraordinary woman, and it was not until the fall of last semester, that I learnt the story of her life. Her story provided me with an outlook to compare and contrast the changes that have been wrought upon culture and society, with the rapid expansion of technology. Born in South Korea, in 1957, my mother was the third among five siblings. Back then, her friends had up to twelve siblings. Comparing that with myself (I have just the solitary sister!), it brings into contrast the difference economic prosperity can have over the growth of the population. My mother’s birth was just after the ending of the Korean War; a time of much sufferings and hardship. They were engaged in agriculture and horticulture and often spent long hours working at the fields. Mother sometimes accompanied her mother to fields as a child. What was significant was that the entire family was aggregated and well knit together, and often worked together to get a better and more bountiful harvest to ease the hardships. However, it was not all work and no play for mother. Often, with her parents out in the fields, mother would play with her siblings, mostly outside their house, and sometimes even inside their room, imagining all sorts of weird and wonderful stories to tell each other. A traditional game that she played was the rubber band game and was very popular among her friends as well. Similarly, she also played Gong- Gi (Air), where players toss one pebble up and try to scoop up another pebble off the ground before the first pebble is scooped back again. While I did play the Gong-Gi during elementary school, the advent of the internet has killed both these games along with so many other traditional games. Children today are seen with videogames rather than playing any traditional game. Thus, the traditional games have now been forgotten. It became clear to me that families were very close during her time, and an extended family support system was assured due to the proximity and contact between family members. This family support system extended to my mother as well. As a beneficiary, she was taken care of by her older siblings, and she did likewise to her younger siblings. She often went around with her younger siblings to the lakes around the town and watched different types of frogs, scorpions, snails and many other insects and animals. Despite the hardships, my mother received an education. However, things were not so easy back then. Every day, she spent more than an hour for the two way walk to her school. That seems impossible nowadays, given the choice in transportation and the increased usage of the school bus. Despite these hardships, she graduated from high school and got accepted to the University of her choosing. What happened next is something that clearly shows the difference that South Korean society has undergone over the years. My mother had to forego her place at the university due to a lack of sufficient funds. Today, that can be solved by taking a loan from the University, which can be paid back later after gaining employment. Thus, it is not that easy to miss out on your dreams of graduating in today’s time, unlike yesteryears. Religion played a great role in my mother’s upbringing. The end of the Korean War saw the increased reliance on agriculture. My mother’s family used their produce to buy or barter all their necessities. However, despite these hardships, they never forgot to donate money to the temple once every month. It was an important tradition believed by the Buddhists. The idea was that this led to a better life in the future. Unlike her time, most such temples, located inside deep woods are dying out and Christianity is increasing in its popularity. However, the older generation, including my mother, still like going to temples where they can find peace and tranquility, along with a continuance of their culture. As they were completely dependent on agriculture, the food habit of my mother and her family depended a lot on the seasonal varieties and variations, unlike modern times where different foods are available anytime on demand. The typical food consisted of rice, eggs and seasoned vegetables. This modest meal was carried to schools too, as cafeterias were not yet present. Holidays were however different. New Year was celebrated with much happiness and preparation of a rice cake soup called Tuk-Gook made up of rice cake, salts, sea tangles and many different kinds of vegetables. It had a cultural significance of purity and maturity and children were advised to drink this to become older. However, eating too much to grow faster by children did result in sickness instead! Similarly, during other traditional holidays, especially at the ending of the harvest season, people ate different types of rice cakes, which were pre-dominantly in the shape of a half moon. The idea was that a half moon corresponded to a good harvest. These cakes contained sweet fillings such as sesame seeds and honey, sweet red bean paste, chestnut paste etc. While it is wonderful to reflect that much of our holiday celebrations are still the same, the difference lies in the preparation of these cakes. Whilst a family affair in the past, these cakes are today mostly bought in the market as instant cakes and have perhaps lost their traditional taste. Similarly, in terms of freedom of expression, today’s generation seems to have a better experience. In my mother’s times, there were strict restrictions with regards to dressing and appearance at schools. However, this has changed and most schools today have much easier restrictions. Similarly, the amount of accessories available today seems to reflect the increased freedom that teenagers enjoy in contemporary South Korean society. What is most striking, however, is the difference in the standard of health. While there were admittedly fewer medical facilities, people were also more active physically and relied on homemade medicines to save them from minor sickness. In contrast, the current generation with its sedentary lifestyle through a lifetime in the office has different diseases due to their unhealthy lifestyle. There is probably no disputing that despite advancement in medical research and facilities, the overall standard of health seems to have declined. In effect, the talk with my mother showed me how technology had lent to rapid changes within a relatively short period of time. Perhaps it is true, that it has also made us less reliant upon ourselves and has caused some negative effects as well. Therefore, it is extremely necessary that we should not stop motivating ourselves and should try and use technological advancements to our advantage and not to our detriment. Works Cited Read More