Life Altering Experience

Life Altering Experience

Alterations are always needed whether it is clothing, physical appearance, or perhaps your life. Without good and bad experiences we wouldn’t really grow as human beings. I myself have undergone major transitions and life altering experiences, more than the average 20 year old anyhow. My recent summer vacation was a dramatic life changing experience that made me thankful, humble myself, and changed my perception of life.

Thank-you is a frequently used phrase in our day to day vocabularies. Although, I believe that very few of us are truly thankful for many things we have that the majority of the world would never even begin to think of having. My recent trip to North Africa this last summer has changed my view on many if not all aspects of my life. I for one used to take things I had for granted, always selfishly wanting the next best thing. Arriving in North Africa’s airport was when it first hit me, these people have next to nothing and still somehow seem content with their lives. I feverishly tried to find reasons why they were happy, wondering how could they possibly be happy without the technology we have. I then took notice that they live with an extreme emphasis on family. Families spend countless amounts of time together and relish every moment together. Compared to how in America we are all too busy juggling daily tasks along with work to barely make ends that much more of a spiritual person, and in turn gives them inner peace compared to us Americans always wanting more.

My life in America was something the commoners couldn’t even begin to dream of, which in turn humbled me. I then realized how many countries in our world live. They live in such a humble manner, you get what you need there is no room for wants. They live off of bread and tuna and live in small apartments with as many as 4 kids to a room. Children walk to the stores alone, and are expected to carry responsibilities at as young as the age of 3. I then thought to myself why is America so corrupt? Why cant our children even play in their front yards? And if its something we created rather than something we cannot prevent. Needless to say when I was seeing all of these things we would never dream of doing in America I began to question our American lifestyle and what is so great about living to live and never enjoying family or simple pleasures of life. People would ask me what my life back home was like and I didn’t have the gumption to really explain. I wondered why I was so embarrassed to explain, I came to the conclusion