Life is like a journey on a boat, whether on a gentle, beautiful river, a rough, unpredictable sea, or, for most of us, something in between.
Even though we have no control over it, how and where we embark may provide us with advantages or pitfalls, decide our fates, and affect our entire existences.
We would prefer, of course, to be born during smooth sailing over calm water, spending years of our lives without hitting a real rough patch of waves. In this situation, however, we are more likely to take our good fortune for granted since we don’t know that it could have been otherwise.
Like many unlucky beings who shared my fate, I came to this world in a leaky vessel during an intense storm brought on by nature, politics, and bad luck. We watched our parents struggle just to survive and then followed their path, learning to be afraid and vigilant.
For the rest of our lives, we can’t help but worry about the return of menacing waves threatening to throw us overboard even after our world has calmed down. Pain and fear mark our character and we have to chart our own route and make our own progress. Life has been tough, but we have been tougher with a determination to make things better.
After so many decades, sometimes I am not even sure if I am still the same person who defied fate during the Great Chinese Famine, which killed nearly 50 million people. I don’t know how my family and I possessed the courage to go through the ten long turbulent years of the Cultural Revolution and my father’s two seven-year imprisonments, and still come out alive and strong.
Now, I live a middle-class American existence and have finally tasted normalcy. I don’t worry anymore about where my next meal is coming from or how to live through a harsh Winter without heat or food in my stomach. And yet, I still pick up a single grain of rice that drops to the floor and eat it as if my very survival depends upon it.
Though I may not have been a lucky person at birth, hardship molded my character. My life’s journey proved that what didn’t kill me did make me stronger. I will never take my life or happiness for granted, and I will never forget about my past.
The beginning of a new year is a perfect time to reflect on our lives and find our personal anchors. We may not have chosen how we started out but we can often choose to steer our lives in the direction we want. If you are having a smooth ride, enjoy it but be aware and prepared in case a storm is brewing ahead. If you are battling for survival in a raging sea, remember that your struggle is a testimonial to your strength. After all, you are the captain of your own ship!
Reflections From The East Column
By Qin Sun Stubis
You can always reach me at qstubis@gmail.com, or please visit me at QinSunStubis.com. You can find a copy of my book, Once Our Lives, online at Amazon.com
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