Since my childhood I’ve been trying to understand the system, I was born into. I always believed that love was a form of wealth perhaps the truest kind but I also knew it wasn’t that simple. Back then, my biggest dream was to grow up and become an adult. But deep down, I realized that without understanding how the world around me worked I couldn’t truly grow. In the end, it was this curiosity this desire to understand that carried me to where I am today.
Because I was determined to understand everything, I thought the best place to start would be talking to those around me. The first person I went to was my mother the one who always appeared when I needed her most, who would feed me even if it meant going hungry herself. I asked her, “Mom, how do we earn love?”. “Hearing your laughter, seeing your smile, that is my wealth. “Of course, I didn’t understand. But I wasn’t going to give up. Next, I went to my father. He was a firefighter, and I’d always wondered about the large burn on his arm a scar from a fire he had run into to save others. I never truly understood why he did it. To me, it only looked like he’d hurt himself. I asked him, “Dad, how do we earn love? “He looked at the burn for a moment, then said, “Seeing the people I save return to their families, knowing they can still breathe that is my wealth. “Still, I didn’t quite get it. So, I set off toward my grandfather’s house. Every morning, before breakfast, he would walk past the T flag hanging in his home, place his hand on his heart, and then sit at the table. I never really understood that either. I asked him the same question: “Grandpa, how do we earn love? “He looked out the window for a moment and said, “Protecting this land the one our ancestors fought for with their bare hands, the one they gave us through blood and sacrifice serving our country… That is my wealth. “I walked home deep in thought, my question still unanswered. Years would pass before I truly understood what they meant.
Years passed, on my very first day of work, I went to the primary school where I would be teaching. I stepped into the classroom, not knowing exactly what to expect. But as time went on, something caught my attention every time the children learned something new, their eyes lit up. They looked at me with joy and curiosity, and that look stirred something deep inside me. It made me feel something I had never felt before. It was as if I had gained a fortune. By the end of my first day, I realized that I had finally found the answer I had been searching for my whole life. My mother’s wealth was the love she gave to her child. My father’s wealth was the gratitude in the eyes of the people he helped. And my grandfather’s wealth was his devotion to the country. They had each carried throughout their entire lives. And then I understood love is not something you earn. It’s always been there. In this world, the richest people are those who live quietly for the sake of others.