My father is a very wise man. He is also very hardworking man who moved to USA in his 40s, started over in a new country and never complained once. He and my mom forges ahead with a plan till reaching their goal, no matter what. They believe in doing the work and giving their best in every situation.
His philosophy is good and sound. But does it work in every situation?
Nah. There is a place for forging ahead and there is a time to fight back for the change. e.g., If the slaves and abolitionists have not complained and work toward changing the second class citizen treatment of black people, do you think slavery would have been abolished? Rosa Park stood up for her rights & refused to sit in back of the bus. It took long and hard work by everyone- the freedom singers, the civil rights leaders and people themselves -for all races to be treated equally. As a direct result of “complaining”, United State elected Barack Obama, the People’s President in 2008 and again in 2012.
Your thoughts?
I am writing this post for11th Annual Slice of Life Story challenge hosted by Two Writing Teachers . During whole month of March, we will share a slice of our lives. You are invited to join too.
I like how you shared your father’s philosophy and then your thoughts. I was pondering this idea the other day as I wrote a slice. I was writing about an angry man who was “splashing his emotional upset” over someone. I felt strongly that this was not acceptable. However, it occurred to me as I wrote that there are times when it’s necessary to splash around some outrage. Perhaps the critical thing to consider is whether your reaction is to something petty (a misplaced credit card in the man’s case) or to something more meaningful that also impacts many people. Still thinking about this…
Molly,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
I am headed to your blog to read about the man who misplaced his credit card.
Totally believe that sometimes we need to make noise. No great societal change was done quietly or by hoping things would sort themselves out.
But your dad–moving to the states, starting over in his 40’s and creating a new life! That was not a “quiet” move.
Hello! Your family forged ahead– their fight for change was in their move here, and while here, they made the best choices for their family.
And sometimes we do need to speak up, speak out, and speak to those who wish to limit the rights of others. It is happening today as the complainer-in-chief tries to separate us and bully. What a sad role model. And so– people speak up in their votes, letters, and more.
Yes, sometimes it is necessary. Thanks for sharing your father’s words of wisdom with us. ~ Sheri
Deb,
No it was not a quiet move. My parents wanted their kids to have more opportunities so they decided to move across the oceans and start over. We read about Mark Twain starting over in late life, I saw my parent reinventing themselves and sacrificing their comfortable middle middle class life for toil and sweat. Their move may not have been accompanied by pomp and protests, it was sure acting on my dad’ s philosophy of winners do not complain.
I agree that societal change do require noise and determination.
Looking forward to visiting you.