I come from an immigrant family, which means times were rough. My father and mother were strong, are strong, will be strong, and had tremendous drive to provide for me the sort of future that every immigrant family wishes their child could have. As many people take things for granted in life, I try my hardest not to. The stories I've heard from their childhood have made me cry. My mother sewing her first doll to finally have something to play with, enjoying sweets one day out of the year (New Year). My grandfather telling my father to study by candlelight so they could save enough money on electricity to get through the month. My father studying with the fervor and drive that only one, infused with the dream of a better future, the dream of a better life, could push and strive without end or cease.
Times were rough indeed, but not in my lifetime. I was fed with milk and honey, brought up in the greenhouse (as they say in China). Every parent wants a better future for their child, but they also want their child to succeed, and in some way carry on their legacy. Even if they will not admit it, most families that have struggled, fought, bit, and beneficently clawed their way to the top, through their own resources, want their offspring to feel if not empathize and understand how it feels.
Perhaps I lack drive. Perhaps it is a different sort of drive. My parents broke cleanly through the wood and left a path. I believe it is my duty to carve.
