September 16, 2000: Psychology Experience Paper
I would like to share with you an experience that changed my life. Everyday of my existence, I try hard to remind myself of how important life is, and how much potential I have within. People tend to take life for granted, complaining about traffic, not donating a dollar to a charity, not even stopping to help an elderly woman carry her groceries. I try to be the best, most socially productive person I can be because of something I experienced when I was very young. I am uncertain about my exact age at the time this occurred, but I was very small and it's something I'll never forget.
Late one night, my parents and I were sitting outside our family business, as we always did, looking at the stars and people passing by. It must have been a weekend because there was a large amount of traffic. I live on a busy street, so there's always a lot of people moving about, and accidents aren't uncommon. We noticed that someone broke down, right in front of our business, about 20 or more yards away. It was an old beat up pick up truck, I believe it was olive green with big rusty spots all over the hood and doors. Shortly after, someone stopped to help him fix it. Nothing to worry about, this guy's in trouble, but someone comes along to save the day. Now, since I'm so young, my memory isn't completely developed to the point where I can remember every detail. However, these men were drunk, you could hear them yelling, I believe they were associates.
This is when my memory snaps clearly. Another pickup, this one was white, and a newer model than the green one, pulls up… except, this one pulls in too fast. The man driving the white truck jostled the man with the broke down pick up. I couldn't believe it, this huge hunk of metal plows into this fat, drunk man. Slamming him into the ground, like a rag doll. Like a tempered child throwing their toy into the wall. Except, this was no doll, this was a man. A bag of bones and blood, mind and soul. This man had a family somewhere, a wife or mother out there, some place. That mystery spouse or parent would soon realize that their loved one is late coming home. And even later, they will receive the news that their loved one won't be coming home, ever again. He might've been a bad man, this John Doe. He might've been a wife beater, and the news of his death might bring some twisted relief. But I don't know him, I don't know what devil or saint he was. I don't know if he was using the rent money to purchase his booze, I don't know if it was his own drunken fault that the truck broke down. Maybe, he could've saved his own life, if only he had taken life a little slower.
Nevertheless, I didn't ask many questions of my parents, I understood, sort of, what had happened, even if I didn't know then what I had witnessed, I know now. And it is now that I can look back in retrospective and fully learn a lesson from this brutal event. As the ambulance pulled up, very slowly, no sirens, no lights, I wondered why they weren't in a hurry. I'd never seen an ambulance, unless it was roaring and flashing, getting somewhere to save someone. At least, I think that's what they were doing, saving people. Maybe all of the scenes were like this one. The man, already dead and bloated, drunks standing around, starring, pretending they didn't know anything. Like they hadn't see what no one could've missed. A huge vehicle mowed down a human being. And what happened to the man in the white truck? I don't know, I don't remember. I don't remember any police; I don't remember any arrests. I don't think there was any justice. But then again, this might've been a devil man that molested little girls, little girls like me. Perhaps that was the justice served. Maybe I should've rejoiced that day. Instead, I was just confused, like I am today.
All this doesn't truly matter, all the bloody details. The fact remains, I learned a serious lesson at a young age. Life is a precious, delicate gift. No one is superman, no one is invincible. I can't live forever, so what I do till the day I die is all I have to go on. It's all I have for sure, this moment I'm living in right now, this very second, as I type this essay. Someone could come in my home, and shoot me dead. If I died right now, what could I say to myself, to my maker, or whoever, what I did with my life? Was I this amazing saint of a woman? Did I save animals, did I plant trees, did I recycle and live a life of graceful deeds? If I can't say that, whole heartedly, I must work harder everyday to be the person I wish to be. Anyone of us could die tomorrow, so why wait to donate to charity? Why wait to help your neighbor? Stop making excuses and get involved in your kid's life, adopt a pet, learn something new, stop letting road rage overcome you. People have got to realize that compliments are so easy to give and can change someone's whole day. Harsh words can damage someone as much as a punch; people underestimate their influence on others.
Watching someone die before my very eyes changed me for the rest of my life. I can't forget what I saw that day, a constant reminder of how precious life is, and how vulnerable we all are. I can't be overly cautious or paranoid, that won't make me live any longer. I must live as though everyday was my last, as if everything I was doing affected others. I must realize that the benefit of others' benefits myself. If I can care for others, I can care for myself. I feel this enhances my life, and makes me a better person, even though I have a lot of growing left.
Me-ism * Eros * Elite * Anonymous * Versification * Belles-lettres * Paparazzo * Anime * Bravura * Phantasmagoria * Extracurricular * Menology