Illnesses and deaths are a part of everyone’s life. Everyone I know has at some point gotten sick in their life. I do not personally know anyone that has died from an illness except my grandparents. My grandfather on my dad’s side died from a heart attack and my grandmother, also from my dad’s side, died from kidney cancer. My grandmother on my mom’s side also died from a heart attack. As for illnesses, thankfully, none of my close family members have even been seriously ill and neither have I. We all had the occasional fever and runny noise every winter but nothing serious. As far as I can remember, I have only been to the hospital as a patient once in my life. That was because I had accidently ran right through a glass door and I had to get 83 stitches on my thigh. I still have the scars to prove it! I also remember having chicken pox when I was around 8 or 9 years old. I had to be isolated inside my room since chicken pox is extremely contagious. My mom would bring me food and water and leave it outside the door. Fortunately I had an attached bathroom with my room so it wasn’t all bad. I also got to skip school for 2 weeks which is always a plus.
As I said before, my family has never been seriously ill before and therefore I have been taught to look at illness as something that you should never have to go through. If either my sister or I fall ill, my parents look at it as if it was our own fault so we deserved it. Until last year, my entire immediate family would eat the same meals when we were at home. So, if only one of us was sick, it had to be because of something that person did wrong. If anyone in my family gets sick, we still get the same care any other family would give their loved ones but we also get a lecture so we try and never be sick again. I have been taught to look at death as a stage in life that everyone eventually has to go through. Since my family and I believe in heaven and hell, I have also been taught to look at death as a judgment call. Which basically connotes to; do not be too attached to life since you will eventually have to let go.
Death is something that scares everyone. I am no exception to that fear. People try extremely hard to try and please everyone around them. Most of the students in my grade are trying extremely hard to improve their grades so they will be able to go to a good college and have a successful life. Sometimes I question these norms that everyone has created for themselves. Why are we working so hard? We all know that we will eventually have to die and none of this will matter anymore. So why am I sitting in the train right now writing this essay the day it is due? If my grades do go up and I get into of the best colleges, and lead a successful life, meaning I have a lot of money, I will still die and that money will not account for anything. “The one who dies with the most toys, still dies” I read this quote in our social studies class last week and it really got me thinking about what my life goals should be. Does it really matter that I died rich? No. It doesn’t. So I have decided to use whatever money I have earned and saved up in my lifetime for something that will benefit other people for years to come.
