Journal Entry #16: Le

            The short story by Nam Le, “Love and Honour and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice,” was very interesting in that it was not only a darker mood, but it also resonated with me when thinking about my own relationship with my father. Because many of our parents choose to deal with their children through a much more harsh, or strict, discipline, there is sometimes a type of resentment that builds up. Because this resentment develops, a lot of children distance themselves from their family as they grow into their adult lives. In hindsight, this is not the best timing seeing as once the children have matured into their adult lives, their parents are obviously much older, and unfortunately there is not as much time left. And so, once children do return for the sake of time, there is a clear divide between the parent and the child. Neither share common thoughts or feelings about most things, and it is rather unfortunate. At the end of the story the father and son reunite and become more close, but this ending does not seem practical or realistic for most children. In my case, my elders will always hold onto their ideals, as narrow as they might be, and will always find the need to impose them onto me and my way of life. This will always be present in my relationship with my elders, and maybe at the last minute, when it is too late really, certain dislikes might dissipate and we might become closer. But until then, there will always be a certain amunt of distance.