Forgive

Jeffrey C.

4/6/2010

Final Draft.

Forgiveness is an essential part of our lives that all of us have to go through at some point. Even people such as the wise Dumbledore or most respected priests make mistakes. While going through the process of making mistakes and forgiving ourselves and others, we finally get to grow up. It is true that some mistakes influence our lives seriously, but forgiveness can change that memory into a wonderful, positive one.

The character that I think of when I hear the word “Forgiven” is professor Dumbledore of the Harry Potter series. In the most recent book called “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollow,” Harry is looking for what Dumbledore told him. Not long after he starts looking for those items, he happens to read a book about the life of professor Dumbledore. Harry finds out a lot of things that Dumbledore did not tell him when he was alive. Harry gets really mad because he feels betrayed and distrusted. However, I think that Dumbledore should be forgiven because he only hid his past because he did not want Harry to make the same mistakes that he made. Fortunately, Harry gets a chance to talk to Dumbledore when he is in a pinch. Dumbledore apologizes, and Harry forgives Dumbledore for not telling him the truth.

In my lifetime, there was one time when I could not forgive myself. During the summer vacation, I was attending an academy in order to study for the TOEFL exam. However, I was in a really severe mental stress because of the fact that I was stuck in that place, when I should have been spending time with my friends. One day, when I forgot to do my homework, the teacher insulted me and hit me several times with a broomstick until it finally broke into two pieces. Well, all those stress along with the insults and punishment made me explode and take two powerful swings at that teacher. All my friends stopped me before I could do something more dangerous, but I was struck with consciousness and simply could not forgive myself. It wasn’t the fact that I hit the teacher, but it was the fact that I let my parents down a whole lot. Recently, I finally forgave myself, and I changed a whole lot after that incident. I realized that I should not keep on harassing myself for past mistake, but rather try not to make the same mistake ever again.

As long as we have relationships with other people, it is inevitable that we make mistakes. Moreover, one bad mistake could ruin our relationships. However, without forgiveness, we will let those mistakes affect our lives in future relationships. "Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future," said Paul Boese.

True gentleman,

There is a saying goes, “Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve,” by Martin Luther King Jr. I believe that anyone who gives can be called a true gentleman. Ever since I was in sixth grade, I have been participating in volunteer work as much as possible. The following is just a couple of people that I consider a “True gentleman.”

The first person that I think as a true gentleman is a Korean singer known as Rain. He was recently featured in Hollywood movies such as Ninja assassin or speed racer. He is also very successful as a singer too. However, when he was about my age, spending most of his time as an apprentice, he had to go through great sorrow. His mother died of a simple disease that can be cured with a simple operation, but they too poor to pay for the operation. After going through years of backbreaking effort, he finally became one of the most famous singers in Korea. Moreover, because he knew how it felt to be in puberty, he actively participated in voluntary work such as digging wells for African villages or building schools for those children to be educated. I really respect him as a true gentleman because he spent the major part of his money on voluntary service even after he got the money that he longed for such a long period of time.

Another person I respect as a true lady – this person is a woman – is the chief of emergency aid team of “World Vision”, Biya Han. She was born in 1958 and is still working for the emergency aid team. Ever since she was 35, a relatively young age, she started to travel around the world. She participated mainly in voluntary work while she was abroad. In 2001, she became the chief of emergency aid team and accomplished countless trips to countries that required help. Recently, she returned from her 100th trip abroad to Somalia. I believe that she is a true lady because she gave up so many things such as marriage or career in order to help those who are in need. Furthermore, she even risked her life various times by volunteering to work in African cities where war was going on. Because of her free and giving lifestyle, she even earned herself a title, “Daughter of Kaze (Wind).”

There is another saying goes, “The noblest question in the world is, ‘What good may I do in it?’” by Benjamin Franklin. This is the question I ask myself really often when I have a chance to take part in volunteer work. If people start asking themselves this question often, I am sure that more and more people can become a “True gentlemen.”