To Have and Have Not

When I was 16 years old, my family visited Thailand where my father had been living due to his business work. My father and his exclusive taxi driver came to pick us up at the airport when we arrived. The driver directed us to the hotel which we could see from miles away with white, flawless appearance that was substantially prominent compared to the residences surrounding the hotel. As we walked into the hotel, everything was shining and the room was spotless and neat as it could be. The experiences I have had were unforgettable: we went sky gliding, went to an animal zoo, ate delicious fruits at the fruit park, and swam in our luxurious pool at the hotel.

However, the most vivid image that even still stays in my mind was experienced the last day of my stay in Thailand. My family decided to go shopping to a market in downtown of Bangkok. As we were walking through a crowded, narrow street, I saw something low on the ground from the other side of the street slowly coming towards us. As I squinted my eyes to perceive what it was, I realized that it was not an object, but a person. A man who wore bedraggled, worn out clothes with a muddy brown face was crawling on the ground, and he had no legs. When I saw him, shivers ran up and down my spine. I could not move, and stood there with my eyes wide open, staring right at him. He noticed my gaze, and looked back at me. His eyes were dead but fiery, with no signs of pride or hope but full of hatred and abhorrence. Still looking at me with his piercing eyes, he moaned in a husky voice and shook his hand. I then noticed in his hand a small cup. On the cup were two big bold words: “HELP ME”. I immediately looked back at my father for help, but his countenance was greatly different from mine; he passed by the man with a placid face, just as if nothing had happened. I asked my father whether I should give the man money or not, and he answered, “You shouldn’t give him money because if you do, other people will come begging for it as well. In fact, that man is purposely crawling on the ground for you to feel sorry for him.” His words confused and dismayed me. I was disgusted to realize that the man was an “ordinary” scene in everyone else’s lives as well as my father’s. Not one person tried to help him, but gave him cold looks or either erased him out of their visions. I hesitated, but obeyed my father and followed him hurriedly, feeling the man’s dead stabbing glare on my back.

After I came back from Thailand, I speculated upon which was the correct choice to do: give the man money, or not. I thought over this many times, but could not find the answer. Just then, my mother gave me some helpful advice. She said, “If you cannot find the answer, it is okay. Just do what you can right now.” Her simple but convincing words freed me from confusion. Moreover, I decided I would start doing what I can do for now, and started researching and learning about the problems in Thailand. Little by little, I came to understand that there are many people eagerly volunteering to change the situations similar to what I had experienced.

From this experience, I learned that it is extremely important to take action. Anyone can simply “think” or “feel, but only a few people can react and take actions based on their beliefs. For example, as I studied about the problems in Thailand, I became interested in economics, a field of study I had never expected to have interest in before. I am determined to always take action in anything that I face in my life regardless of whether it leads to a positive or a negative result. Hopefully next year, I will be able to “react” to the experience I have had in Thailand by going on a service learning trip and doing volunteer work for the underprivileged citizens