To Reevaluate Life

Fri, 02/07/2014 - 00:59 -- rkonte

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When considering a way to positively impact the world, the possible changes seem endless.
If I had the power to make such a change, I believe I would decide on one particular thing.
It would not be neither a social nor political change, but rather a change of mankind’s mentality—
specifically, a reevaluation on the value of life.

I believe the potency of life is incomparable, and that its true wealth is taken too lightly.

For the sake of understanding, a personal experience of mine has led me to this realization.
On a summer vacation with my family, a tragedy occurred that broke the semblance of normality in my life, and awoke me to a bitter-sweet epiphany.
My father was involved in a near-death motor accident.
The lower half of his body was mangled,
yet he held to life with an unrelenting grasp.
As a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service,
the injury imposed overwhelming worries that burdened not only what the chances of survival were, but what the future may hold for his career.
Miraculously he was able to endure through the recovery of his injuries,
and not only display the astonishing success of the medical understanding of the human body,
but also the persistence of the human spirit.
He recovered to be a man stronger,
and as his scars healed to form raised reminders of what once was,
they left a resonating lesson that I would not soon forget.

I came to understand that life is so unbelievably fragile and fleeting.
It possesses an illusion of strength and vitality,
and yet all the while it can escape from one’s grasp in a mere moment.
This ephemeral nature is the very reason why I believe a great amount of good could be done for the world if this understanding was wide-spread.
It appears too common lives are lost for petty reasons.
Whether it is for the vices of addition,
wrath,
jealously,
or spite,
the essence of life is taken in low esteem,
and allowed to slip from one’s fingers.

I could only hope to open the eyes of mankind to see what a precious gift resides in each living being.
An invaluable, underestimated gift that packs the potential to make all things possible.

To neglect a gift such as that appears to be the greatest disservice to the world,
one that I would amend if I had the capability.

Even if, that power relied only in my words.

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