The prompt is: Is it true that we often appreciate the things we have, not when we gain them, but when we lose them? Support your reasoning... blah blah... the rest of that...
When one is in possession of something, he or she is not likely to fully realize the extent of its value or the significance it has to the particular owner. It is only when one loses something—whether it be an item, an abstract concept or a person—that he or she comprehends the loss in its entirety.
Less than a few months ago, my great-grandfather passed away when he was nearly a century old. I had known him my whole life and thought this state of being “alive and well” would continue for an indefinite period. I merely took my beloved great-grandfather’s presence for granted. Only when I had lost him—as everyone will ultimately be won over by Death—that I realized his importance, which completes who I am and what my family is.
I immigrated to Canada six years ago. I spent the better half of my elementary school years, and most of my high school life there. My parents’ decision to return to Taiwan last year was a shock to me; I was rendered a mere walking shell for weeks. I had never before thought of the possibility of parting with my friends, companions I’ve known since elementary. And never before had I realized what Canada meant to me, and that in just a few months I would leave all that my conscious memory had record of.
I’ve been to Canada, and come back to Taiwan a year ago. Now, only standing from an objective viewpoint can I determine the degree to which I appreciate my life in Canada. Perhaps I’ve not literally “lost” Canada, but in a sense I lost a part of my soul, my integrity, when I moved away. We see clearly only when we’re standing outside the ring of fog. I see clearly now that my years in Canada are going to be with me for the rest of my life.
Perhaps to many the fact of losing something isn’t a great ordeal, because they’ve enjoyed all that they could in the time. To me, however, losing my great-grandfather or my home and friends in Canada were both alarming wake-up calls. Both events awoke me from taking everything for granted as Nelly Furtado said in her song, “all good things come to an end.”
Thank you so much.
When one is in possession of something, he or she is not likely to fully realize the extent of its value or the significance it has to the particular owner. It is only when one loses something—whether it be an item, an abstract concept or a person—that he or she comprehends the loss in its entirety.
Less than a few months ago, my great-grandfather passed away when he was nearly a century old. I had known him my whole life and thought this state of being “alive and well” would continue for an indefinite period. I merely took my beloved great-grandfather’s presence for granted. Only when I had lost him—as everyone will ultimately be won over by Death—that I realized his importance, which completes who I am and what my family is.
I immigrated to Canada six years ago. I spent the better half of my elementary school years, and most of my high school life there. My parents’ decision to return to Taiwan last year was a shock to me; I was rendered a mere walking shell for weeks. I had never before thought of the possibility of parting with my friends, companions I’ve known since elementary. And never before had I realized what Canada meant to me, and that in just a few months I would leave all that my conscious memory had record of.
I’ve been to Canada, and come back to Taiwan a year ago. Now, only standing from an objective viewpoint can I determine the degree to which I appreciate my life in Canada. Perhaps I’ve not literally “lost” Canada, but in a sense I lost a part of my soul, my integrity, when I moved away. We see clearly only when we’re standing outside the ring of fog. I see clearly now that my years in Canada are going to be with me for the rest of my life.
Perhaps to many the fact of losing something isn’t a great ordeal, because they’ve enjoyed all that they could in the time. To me, however, losing my great-grandfather or my home and friends in Canada were both alarming wake-up calls. Both events awoke me from taking everything for granted as Nelly Furtado said in her song, “all good things come to an end.”
Thank you so much.