I don't know about you but I really respect and look up to cultures that
have been around for thousands of years. Those people who keep it going, that
is strength. One of the oldest cultures that I find absolutely intriguing in
the Chinese culture, and specifically their writing and language is just
beautiful. One symbol that I have learned about recently is 危机.
This is the Chinese symbol for crisis. Now in the Chinese language, the English
language doesn't often translate directly. Here there are two symbols for the
one word. 危机
is actually two symbols. The first means danger and the second means
opportunity. Now everything I have talked about is in relation to the family.
So how does the Chinses symbol 危机 for crisis relate to the family you may ask, let me show
you.In a family, there are often times when something goes array meaning that
something hard or unexpected happens. There are many moments like this in a
family and how they respond often shapes a family as much as the event its self.
Often these events are called a crisis, or an dangerous opportunity. Let me
give an example to explain what I mean.
When I was 16 my family decided to move from the treasure valley in Idaho to
Grangeville Idaho. Even though they were in the same state, these two places were
4 hours away. (And when you are a teenager this can seem very far away
from family and friends.) I remember when my mom told me, I reacted a little
rashly. I went for a run without waiting for an explanation as to why. Over the
next year we packed and sold our Greenleaf house and moved Grangeville. Now the
situation seemed dangerous to me as a teenager. I was leaving all who I knew
and loved and was going far away to finish my high school experience to quit a
smaller town. I knew being a member of my faith set me apart from others, and I
was scared that those of my peer age were not going to accept me. But as much
as this was ‘dangerous’ in my head, it was also an opportunity. In Grangeville no
one knew me, I could be whoever I wanted to me. I could try now sports and hopefully
keep growing in my love for music. It as an ‘dangerous opportunity’ and I did
not know how it would turn out until we just did it.
I am eternally grateful that we moved to Grangeville my junior year as 1. I drew
closer to my mom and brothers. 2. I met so many wonderful, beautiful, and
fantastic people in Grangeville and I built some lasting relationships that I
now cherish.
A family could be defined as an overall crisis, a place where ‘dangerous opportunities’
happen daily. But this does not mean that we stop out of the fear of trying.
Think of a time in your life when you had to face something scary, something
unknown. Think of who you were at that time, and who you are now. Would you
give up all your growth since that experience to save on some pain? I wouldn’t.
Families are a beautiful and wonderful opportunity to grow and find who we are,
we just often have to act on faith when it comes to our families. Heck, we
sleep in the same house as these people, sometimes it was faith that my brothers
would not strangle me in the night. Every opportunity to grow as a family, is a
unique time to grow together. Don’t let those moments pass by, use them to your
advantage. Let those times of crisis turn into an opportunity, even if it may
seem dangerous in the moment. For who knows how much you will grow from it.
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