Why are parents
always right? No matter how much I argue, they cannot have a wrong
answer. Although I continued getting warnings from my family like,
“No seas tan flojo, ve y as algo constructivo.”, the
Spanish equivalent of, “Don’t be so lazy, go do something
constructive.”, I never quite understood why they continued to
push me so hard. Now that my future approaches, I understand.
Although my family has never been directly involved with my school
education, the moral support they have provided me has helped me get
through those difficult points in life when you realize that life
will move on with or without you.
Both my parents
are of Mexican descent, born and raised in a small town in central Mexico. They had
the classic romance; meet a person you like in your town, go through the ritual
courting, then ask the person for their hand in marriage. Such
practices were normal back then,
but soon after they moved to Santa Monica, California my parents were forced to adapt to
a more liberal lifestyle. The small town mentality they once had no longer applied in
this new environment, as my father once learned. What he would have considered a small
argument between himself and another man ended in a gun being brandished and my
father being shot in the back. To this day the bullet remains lodged
in his back, a grim
reminder of the difference between their native society and the
American one.
Through such
stories of the difficulties my parents have endured, I have developed
a deep sense of
pride of my Mexican background, as well as pride in the ideas and
values my parents have
passed down to me. Although they believe in the opinions they
developed growing up in Mexico, my
parents developed the most open-minded attitudes I have ever observed, a trait
I am convinced I have gained as well.
Throughout my
life I have been very accepting of different people, regardless of ethnic
differences. I always attempt to treat others with respect and
dignity, and I never judge anyone based on outward appearance. Often
I may notice someone who may be dressed outlandishly or frankly
ridiculous, as was the case some time ago at my job. I was just
assisting a customer when a very muscular Indian man walked in. He
was wearing his hair straight up, with a torn yellow shirt and purple
pants. Although my immediate mental reaction was to label this man as
someone very odd, I stopped myself and realized that although I may
consider his clothes or hair to be bizarre, he most likely conceives
his clothing as normal. Through such experiences my view of people in
general has drastically changed to a much more comprehensive and
accepting one.
My parents are
very calm, mellow people. They never seek an argument, and definitely
never try to resort to physical violence as a solution to a quarrel.
They are the type of people who will attempt to calm down an
aggressor before he causes himself any trouble. Though I must admit I
seem to have developed a more confrontational attitude toward a
problem, I, too, try to never resort to physical violence to resolve
it.
One time at
school a man came up to me believing I was the guy who had stolen his
girlfriend from him. Albeit I knew that I wasn’t the same guy he
was referring to, he was obviously quite sure that I was the one.
After trying to talk him down, he still refused to listen to reason
and shoved me. While I’m not one to take anything of that nature
lightly, I merely regained my composure and stood there. He lunged
again and I was forced to hold him down, for he was actually shorter
than me. I very slowly explained that it could not possibly be me
because of the fact that he himself had described the guy as a
“…short little punk…”. As I was taller, he realized I was
right and dismissed himself.
My family has
been the sole guidance in my life, and although they may not have
contributed to my educational goals, they have taught me valuable
lessons that I will be able to utilize to further my educational
career, and my hopes for the future.