Sergio Tinoco's Blog, page 2

There’s a Superhero in You

Remember the time when you were young and carefree. You were once a little child brandishing your mighty sword to slay the ferocious dragon. You had gone on adventures with your friends where you found hidden treasures and saved the world from a tyrannical leader. Perhaps, you’d also been a knight who fought for his king and protected the kingdom. As a kid, you dreamed of being strong and powerful enough to change the world, to make lives better, and to save people. You wanted to be exactly like the superheroes you saw on TV.

There was a time when you used to wear your blanket as a cape and “flew” around the yard, imagining you were Superman watching over the metropolis. You also imagined you were Spiderman swinging on skyscrapers as you chased the bad guys. You have many memories of getting hurt or in trouble for doing heroic stunts and getting into shenanigans, like climbing a tree to save a cat, wearing your underpants over your jeans, standing up to bullies, doing “experiments,” and more. You had a lot of fun leading your young superhero life.

As you grew up, you realized things weren’t that easy. In the real world, you had to go through puberty, deal with insecurities, get good grades, make a living, pay your taxes, manage relationships, and many more. Suddenly, you become disillusioned. Your worldview shifts. You’re less inclined to selflessly run to the aid of others. You become wrapped in your affairs, your needs, your problems. You forget about being a superhero. But the thing about superheroes is that they’re always needed. The world always needs change. There are always lives that must be made better. There’s always someone who needs saving. Sooner or later, you will be called again to be a superhero. This time it won’t be just pretend. You’ll find yourself fighting real monsters in the real world, not with superpowers or super strength. You’ll be fighting using words and actions for equality, for the earth, for others, and for yourself.

You may not have the ability to fly or shoot lasers from your eyes, but in your own way, you are a superhero. You have eyes that have seen through so many terrible things, yet they remain shining. You have strong shoulders that have supported many people when they were weak. You have smiles that have driven away storm clouds and brighten the days of others. You have hands that have created and done many things that made lives better. You are a superhero because of your ordinary words and actions that have touched the hearts of others.

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Breaking the Family Cycle

No family is perfect; every household has their own problems. It is common to see negative reinforcement as the main approach for discipline. However, what parents fail to see is the resentment a child builds against them and how they negatively influence a child’s character.

Man tends to create habits since it is natural to find comfort in some form of system. However, creating a routine or a pattern is good only if its effect is beneficial—not just to you, but also to others. Yes, punishments can be a good tool for instilling discipline to children, but if it is the only or dominant method being used, it will only create obedience out of fear.

Even bad vices parents make are being followed by their children. Smoking, drugs, gambling, fornicating—these become natural to the eyes of an innocent child if no measure of restriction is implemented. Breaking a habit can be tough, but dealing with a whole family influenced by negative habits is more of a handful.

The mind-set that it is okay to be hostile is passed down from generation to generation if the cycle of hostility is not broken. Not to mention, abuse is not only limited to physical abuse. Sometimes, mothers can be such nags, but they are who they are because of the way they were raised and because of the environment that they are in. What you can do though is be aware of how you speak and if you are setting a good example. What you are in the household becomes evident in the workplace as well, which is counterproductive to your development.

It may be stereotypical or racist to say that people living in the ghetto are uneducated or uncultured. The stigma and misinformation are barriers to what a person can possibly achieve in life. Just in October of this year, on a flight from Detroit to Minneapolis, an African American woman was repeatedly blocked by a flight attendant when she tried to help an unresponsive man. The flight attendant said they were looking for “actual physicians or nurses or some type of medical personnel.” Discrimination can be an obstacle to the improvement of one’s life, but you have the power to overcome stereotypes and call out the ones who dare oppress your basic human right. The thinking of someone being superior to another because of skin color has been passed down through civilizations; nonetheless, now is the perfect time to speak up and make a change. The modern world is no place for racial discrimination or marginalization.

It’s not bad to follow a career path that is aligned with your forefather’s professions. What’s bad is pursuing a career that you don’t love. Passion should be the reason why you pursue a career, and not forced obligation. A career in the police force is not so bad if that’s what you really want. Breaking a family cycle can be very good if it’s for your happiness and for the betterment of your family’s lives.

 

Reference

Levin, Sam. 2016. “Delta Accused of ‘Blatant Discrimination’ by Black Doctor after Incident on Flight.” The Guardian. October 13. Accessed November 7, 2016. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/13/delta-discrimination-black-doctor-incident.

 

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What Is Your Proud American Journey?

Stigma—the word immigrant will always have negative connotations despite its simple meaning. Racial prejudice becomes evident from the proud and entitled when they realize they are dealing with an illegal alien. Little did they know that America was established when Europeans immigrated in 1607.

Despite the stigma, people will always want to live prosperous lives, and the idea of leaving one’s birthplace is a small price to pay to achieve greatness. Being proud of a nationality doesn’t require you to be a natural-born citizen of a country. Experience and success are what makes a person appreciative of which country’s air he is breathing.

Dr. Sana Syed, of Pakistani heritage, moved to the United States in 2008. With passion for learning, she graduated from medical school and pursued a residency in neurology at Boston University. A career in neurology had piqued her interest in medical school because she aspired to become a part of the discovery process in a rapidly evolving field of medicine. Now an assistant professor at Tufts Medical Center and a clinical translational research fellow at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Syed’s story is proof that a Muslim immigrant’s life can be successful as long as you don’t lose sight of your aspirations.

Born in Madras, India, you wouldn’t expect Indra Nooyi to become the future CEO of PepsiCo. Her determination to study physics, chemistry, and math has brought her to Yale University’s graduate school of management. She joined PepsiCo in 1994, and she oversaw major acquisitions, such as Quaker Oats and Tropicana. Eventually, she became CEO in 2001, and her current salary doesn’t go less than ten million a year. She may have started from the bottom but continuously honing her skills and talents had made her what she is today.

Daniel Torres and his family migrated in the United States when he was still a teenager. Not wanting to become just another Mexican taking somebody’s job, he enlisted in the Marine Corps using a fake birth certificate and served in the Iraq War. When his superiors found out about him being an illegal immigrant, he was given an honorable discharge and voluntarily left the United States.

On April of this year, Daniel officially became a US citizen, as he was eligible under special provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The law allows people who serve in the military during a period of hostility become a citizen of the United States. His story may not be as grand as discovering a cure to cancer, but his dreams of serving a country he chose to call home is something to be proud of.

These stories are only a few of the forty-three million immigrants in the United States that are thriving for better lives. Though not everyone gets the glorious, happy ending they desire as they relocate to a foreign country, there is no objective measure for success. Overcoming struggles and achieving daily goals can be your stepping stones on the road to a satisfying, fulfilling immigrant life.

 

References

Abdelkader, Engy. 2015. “A Muslim Immigrant Success Story.” The Huffington Post, December 4. Accessed November 2, 2016. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/engy-abdelkader/a-muslim-immigrant-succes_b_8720546.html.

Business Insider. “12 Immigrants Who Came to America with Nothing and Made a Fortune.” Accessed November 2, 2016. http://www.businessinsider.com/american-dream-immigrants-made-a-fortune-in-the-us-2014-2#indra-nooyi-ceo-of-pepsico-11.

Sanchez, Tatiana. 2016. “A Mexican Immigrant Here Illegally Just Became a Citizen, Thanks to His U.S. Military Service.” Los Angeles Times, April 23. Accessed November 2, 2016. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-immigrant-military-service-20160423-story.html.

 

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