Sigh, my third attempt at this essay. I think my ideas are getting better, but my execution is getting worse...Help guys!
BTW, im a firefighter and first responder. Its in my transcript and also described in another essay although in a different context.
What matters to you and why?
Covered in a mixture of motor oil and blood, I walked towards the ambulance deafened and blinded by the sirens. I held my precious cargo with my outstretched arm: a severed human arm. As I approached my senior investigative officer, I gave a grim smile and asked: "wanna hand?"
My profession is a sobering one. I witness suicides, attend to burn victims and most traumatizing, I attempt to comfort the grieving. This grim reality seems as distant from comedy, or humour, as one could imagine. Yet joviality, the sheer ability to find comedy in tragedy, has over time become my most important ability. Although comedy is occasionally viewed as a sign of immaturity, I personally rely on it to get through the real tensions and stresses of day to day existence. Encountering such tragic situations in such unfiltered ways has led me to value the power of laughter. It is that joyous moment where for an instant, body and souls are gloriously in unison.
Taken out of context, undoubtedly my sense of "gallows humour" seems inappropriate and in some cases cruel even though it remains strictly private and between professionals. However, it isn't a cover for cruelty, but my own expression of resilience as well as an emotional catharsis. Underlying all my jokes and hilarity is a very sober realization. There is little I can do about the unfortunate events that happen, but I can control my mentality towards these circumstances. Confronted with the fragility of life so graphically has made me deal with the enormity of what I do with black humour. The spell of laughter has allowed me to create the greatest memories out of the even the worst of times and turned pain into uncontrollable chuckles.
This essay is really good. The anecdote at the beginning with the joke at the end it a perfect way to start this out. Maybe you could aslo talk about another aspect of you life in which comedy helps you? If you choose something that is totally different, it could really help show the contrasts in your life.
