Describe a setback that you have faced. How did the outcome affect you? How did you resolve it? If something similar happened in the future, how would you react?
Like a Pair of Shoes
My brother and I are identical twins and we have an intimate and affectionate relationship. We have been together for the last seventeen years during which we have been experiencing a mutual influence. However, over the years, my brother has hindered me and has been the source of the setback I have faced.
I recall that from the time we were young, it was very difficult for people to tell us apart. "Who is who?" they often asked. Indeed, my brother and I have a very similar physical appearance. I wake up every single morning knowing that there is someone that looks exactly like me, which is a very peculiar feeling.
My philosophy teacher once gave a good example of the situation I was facing: "Paintings such as Mona Lisa wouldn't have been so valuable if there were not one but two original samples of it".
Being a twin has made it harder for me to have my own clear sense of my identity. My life was more about us than about myself. People referred to us as "the twins". On my birthday it was always about me and someone else so I have never had the experience of it being all about me, we were seen as one unit, just like a pair of shoes. In the eyes of others, we have the same function and characteristics. For example, one day, I had appendicitis and I was rushed to the hospital, in the operation room. The next day, even though my brother was feeling well, my parents took him to the doctor for a check up.
I have challenged myself by attempting to keep my distances from my brother in order to resolve this setback. I went to my grandmother's house, stayed there for two weeks and pretended as if my brother never existed. I was miserable, angry and stressful. I had no one to talk to and no one to have fun with. I often invited friends over but they couldn't match the closeness nor replicate the kind of intimacy that I had with my brother.
I soon realized how selfish and ungrateful I was. Instead of being thankful of my brother's existence, I used to be discouraged by it. Life without my brother was unimaginable.
In the future, I will always know that some setbacks in life are irresolvable and that one should learn and challenge himself to accept these setbacks. Although my brother has hindered me during my life, acknowledging the importance his presence helped me accept the setback and rather concentrate on the positive aspects that he had to offer. I still wake up every morning knowing that I am not unique in physical appearance; however, this is what makes my brother and me special.
Like a Pair of Shoes
My brother and I are identical twins and we have an intimate and affectionate relationship. We have been together for the last seventeen years during which we have been experiencing a mutual influence. However, over the years, my brother has hindered me and has been the source of the setback I have faced.
I recall that from the time we were young, it was very difficult for people to tell us apart. "Who is who?" they often asked. Indeed, my brother and I have a very similar physical appearance. I wake up every single morning knowing that there is someone that looks exactly like me, which is a very peculiar feeling.
My philosophy teacher once gave a good example of the situation I was facing: "Paintings such as Mona Lisa wouldn't have been so valuable if there were not one but two original samples of it".
Being a twin has made it harder for me to have my own clear sense of my identity. My life was more about us than about myself. People referred to us as "the twins". On my birthday it was always about me and someone else so I have never had the experience of it being all about me, we were seen as one unit, just like a pair of shoes. In the eyes of others, we have the same function and characteristics. For example, one day, I had appendicitis and I was rushed to the hospital, in the operation room. The next day, even though my brother was feeling well, my parents took him to the doctor for a check up.
I have challenged myself by attempting to keep my distances from my brother in order to resolve this setback. I went to my grandmother's house, stayed there for two weeks and pretended as if my brother never existed. I was miserable, angry and stressful. I had no one to talk to and no one to have fun with. I often invited friends over but they couldn't match the closeness nor replicate the kind of intimacy that I had with my brother.
I soon realized how selfish and ungrateful I was. Instead of being thankful of my brother's existence, I used to be discouraged by it. Life without my brother was unimaginable.
In the future, I will always know that some setbacks in life are irresolvable and that one should learn and challenge himself to accept these setbacks. Although my brother has hindered me during my life, acknowledging the importance his presence helped me accept the setback and rather concentrate on the positive aspects that he had to offer. I still wake up every morning knowing that I am not unique in physical appearance; however, this is what makes my brother and me special.
