Shema Responsibility

Some people tend to think that life is not fair. They say some people have it easier than others, that pretty much everything is given to some of us. That is not true, in my opinion no one has it easy. You may be the son of a billionaire or your father may be the king of a country but trust me, you will encounter at least one tragedy in your life. Everyone does. In the following, I will talk to you about some of the tragedies I have encountered.

My father had nothing growing up, he was the oldest of seven and had to work really hard to make sure everyone was fed and went to school. My grandparents wanted their kids in school but simply didn’t have the means to send them. Not only that, they all had to leave their native country, Rwanda, for Congo when the Genocide that saw one million people killed in ninety days happened. Lots of my father’s relatives and friends were killed. Great tragedy right? Yet never once have I heard my dad say life’s unfair.

I was born in Rwanda, in November 1996 2 years after the Genocide. I pretty much had everything I wanted since day one. My father had opened several businesses, basically I was born when my dad was at the top of his game. He loved his family so much that he sent us (my mother and my three siblings) to live in Canada for better opportunities. It’s hard moving to a new country. Canada was not as bad since there are millions of immigrants who come in every year so easier to fit in. Not every one of those millions of immigrants gets to become a Canadian citizen though, you’ve got to have a legitimate reason to become one. A few examples of legitimate reasons are war in your home country, political conflicts or any type of threats to your life. Well, apparently wanting better education and opportunities is not a good enough reason to benefit from free healthcare and security. We made friendships that will last forever, and had the time of our lives. So when my family had to leave in May 2014, it was a time of great tragedy. We got over it though, my mom always told us that everything happens for a reason, and as hard as it is sometimes you just gotta stay strong and everything will work itself out.

In times of tragedies, I’m supposed to write texts that brings hope to people who are touched by the event. I need to try to make them understand that pain is always temporary and that brighter days are on the way. Tell them that they’re not alone in this time of misery.