Distress Part II

Today marks the day of Jack's passing, RIP.

Distress and sadness

            As my followers and teacher may have noticed, this blog is a day late. It was not out of pure neglect that I forgot to do this blog, but I have been distracted this weekend with terrible news. Although this might not have much to do without class, it’s a touchy subject that I think people should know more about. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive motor neuron disease that deteriorates a person’s motor skills such as movement and speaking. Lou Gehrig's disease has no known cure. Approximately 1 in 250,000 or 0.00% or 1,087 people in USA suffer from this disease and I’m sad to say I know of them.

            After my parents got divorced when I was five, I went on to live with my mother. At age nine, my mom began dating this wonderful guy whose name is Jack. For the next four years, Jack was the fatherly figure in my life that I never had. I great very attached to him and developed a close relationship to him. He provided my mom and me with financial support as well as emotional support. At age thirteen, they ended their relationship and I was devastated. He still made sure to make an appearance in my life, but over time, the amount in which I spoke to him and saw him decreased.

            No, I do not suffer from this disease in-case that is what you were assuming. Several months ago, Jack was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease and he unknowingly had it for a year. When my mother broke the news to me, I had no idea what Lou Gehrig's disease was. After she explained it to me and I looked it up online, I understood that it meant he was slowly dying. The rate for each person varies and he was doing okay until recently. He lost his mobility completely and had to move in with his brother in the course of a month. The disease was taking its toll hard and quickly.

            This weekend, my mom was informed that Jack is in the hospital at his death bed. He is in critical condition. I haven’t seen Jack in about two months and couldn’t believe the news. I’m sitting here writing this with tears in my eyes trying not to cry. I am extremely devastated and can’t focus on anything. It took me endless hours to completely homework because the only thing on my mind is that the closest person to a father I have is dying and there’s nothing that can be done. This blog along with some other assignments completely slipped my mind. I’m afraid that I’ll be distracted for the next couple of days, maybe even weeks as I receive information about Jack’s current condition. This blog is all over the place because I'm having trouble collect my thoughts.

            The only thing I have to say after writing this blog is be thankful for who you have because not only might other’s not have that, but they could be gone in the blink of an eye without any warning at all.

statistic source: http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/a/amyotrophic_lateral_sclerosis/stats.htm?ktrack=kcplink

Pressure

            Now a days being a teenager is a task of great strength. Me, being a teen, know what it’s like to live under society’s pressure. But imagine living in a time where what we go through now was only ten times worst. Imagine living in a world like that of which The Scarlett letter was written. Would it be easier or harder?

            In today’s society, we are much more lenient on teens compared to the society in The Scarlett Letter. Premarital sex is now an opinion no longer held as strongly as before. It is more acceptable and normal for teenagers to be having sex now a day as apposed to in the earlier times. Teenage females are wondering around with their children that were either planned or unplanned. Before, that was completely unacceptable, but it’s different now. It’s still a faux pas, but the stigma and harshness of society’s judgment is less than before. But does the decrease of these kinds of pressure make up for the pressure brought on now a day by education?

            Although teen promiscuity is much more accepted, the pressure for a good education has increased.  It is harder in this time to build you into success without a high school education and even some college. There are always the exceptions of people who are able to live a well-relaxed, stable life without high school or a higher education, but it is statistically proven that more education provides for a better life. So does that mean the pressure from back then and now are the same, just focused on different things? 

Customs and norms.

Out of all places I’ve traveled to outside of the United States (Germany, France, Brazil), Brazil has to be the most different. Especially since I know the culture of Brazil, I can pick apart the differences between the US and Brazil. My parents, both being born and raised in Brazil, aren’t used to all of American culture although they’ve been living here for over 15 years. Brazilian culture is very religion and family oriented, two things that I am not at all.

           

            I was born and raised in the US and don’t see my family often at all. When I was seven, I went to Brazil yearly until the age of twelve. After twelve I went bi-yearly. I love my family, but because I do not know them like my parents do or because I’m not raised with them, I can’t call myself family oriented. That’s something that really bothers my parents. They both love their family and would do absolutely anything for them, and sadly, but honestly, I wouldn’t. They are my blood and I love them to death, but they are not supportive, and a big enough of part of my life like some of my friends are.

           

            Brazil consists mostly of the Catholic religion. My mother’s side of the family is Christian, while my father’s is Catholic. My parents split up when I was five, and I have been living with my mother. When I was younger, my mother took me to church with her, Saint Tarcicius church to be exact. I considered myself Catholic and believing in God until I was in seventh grade. Then I learned about the Holocaust.

            After learning about the Holocaust in my seventh grade history class, it didn’t take long until I began to rationalize and critically examine the belief of god. As eighth grade came and we got more into detail about the Holocaust and heard from survivors who were religious before the event, I decided that I no longer believe in god.

           

            I am a junior now in high school and have learned a lot more about Atheism, death, post-death, and religion. I stand by my views of being an Atheist and that is something my family does not accept. My father and I got into an argument when he was visiting me from Brazil over the subject and he is disgusted by the fact that I am a non-believer. That has to be the biggest difference between my family and I. They believe in religion because they were raised to and in Brazil they don’t usually discuss atheism or other religions. My mother has yet to know that I am an atheist and I am nervous to tell her because she prays everyday before bed and when she waked up and I am worried about what she will say. We’re already different enough as it is.