이게 왜 8점짜리인지..
I learned a valuable lesson from my friend's attitude and the way he deals with many tribulations in his life.
When I studied in China, I had a close friend, whose name was Jinta. He was born into a poor family. Even though his father was old he had to work at a construction site in order to pay living costs and school tuition for Jinta and his two little brothers. Despite being poor, Jinta was never ashamed of his family. He was optimistic, always looked enthusiastic and had a straightforward mind. Poverty did not control his strong personality.
However, his father suffered a serious injury in a construction site accident. Jinta’s father could not work and therefore could no longer afford to pay his sons’ school tuitions. China has very poor social insurance. The government subsidy was too small for Jinta's family. Jinta had to quit high school when he was only sixteen years old and go to work to support his whole family.
Unfortunately, his mother grew tired of living in dire indigence. She ran away and abandoned her family. I did not find out about this unfortunate development until a long time later. His mother’s selfish action and the separation of his parents must have been more painful than anything else to Jinta but he did not let on. He never looked sad or complained to me. In fact, he became stronger and more mature in the face of the worst conditions.
Today Jinta is not alone anymore. His two little brothers are all grown-up and share Jinta's burden. They all help to take care of their father. Each of them finished high school and went on to graduate from university. I learned a great lesson from Jinta. His life demonstrates that no matter how terrifying a situation may be a person can defeat their struggles. Jinta taught me that suffering can be overcome if you respond with courage.