In Japanese, there is a phrase, “kodomo no tame ni,” meaning “for the sake of the children.” As I learn more about my heritage and my ancestors, I have seen that this value is a very prominent part of my Asian culture. My family truly honors the idea that each generation should think about what's important for the next.
On the Chinese side of my family, my grandmother left the comfort of her home in order to start a new life in America. She gave up her friends, her social connections, her chances for economic advancement — all in order to immigrate here to pursue opportunities for her children. My grandmother knew that her kids would receive a better education in the United States than in Hong Kong, so she came and worked diligently at her two jobs to ensure her sons’ futures.
On the other side, my Japanese great-grandparents were forced by the U.S. government to relocate during World War II. Their businesses, their houses, their freedoms were all taken away. And while they could have rebelled and fought those who were stripping away everything they had, my great-grandparents decided to go along with it to protect their children.
Everything my family has done has brought me here. So what do I do with this? How do I honor all the risks and sacrifices they made thinking about future generations? Thinking about me.
Using what my culture has taught me, my hope for the future is to lead a life thinking about the greater good, not just my own. Just as all parts of the body are needed for it to function, we humans cannot thrive without each other. In order to prosper, we need to ensure that everyone is successful. Simple actions, like helping someone understand their math homework or proofreading a peer’s essay, can really make a difference. Or perhaps harder actions, like listening to those who have different opinions than you and working to find compromises. Just as my family passed this ideal on to me, I hope to spread this message to others, so they can live it out as well. We children are the face of the future, the ones who have the ability to make a change.
Looking around at the world today, I realize how self-centered and inconsiderate we have become. Everyone seems to be thinking only about their personal gain. And one of the many things my culture has instilled in me is that in order to ensure survival for future generations, we need to think about other people. We can't just go around hoarding resources for ourselves. Imagine what a better world we could make if we made choices that took into consideration the present common good and that of the future. Imagine what could happen if we took actions not just for the sake of ourselves, or even just for our own children, but for the sake of everyone.
On the Chinese side of my family, my grandmother left the comfort of her home in order to start a new life in America. She gave up her friends, her social connections, her chances for economic advancement — all in order to immigrate here to pursue opportunities for her children. My grandmother knew that her kids would receive a better education in the United States than in Hong Kong, so she came and worked diligently at her two jobs to ensure her sons’ futures.
On the other side, my Japanese great-grandparents were forced by the U.S. government to relocate during World War II. Their businesses, their houses, their freedoms were all taken away. And while they could have rebelled and fought those who were stripping away everything they had, my great-grandparents decided to go along with it to protect their children.
Everything my family has done has brought me here. So what do I do with this? How do I honor all the risks and sacrifices they made thinking about future generations? Thinking about me.
Using what my culture has taught me, my hope for the future is to lead a life thinking about the greater good, not just my own. Just as all parts of the body are needed for it to function, we humans cannot thrive without each other. In order to prosper, we need to ensure that everyone is successful. Simple actions, like helping someone understand their math homework or proofreading a peer’s essay, can really make a difference. Or perhaps harder actions, like listening to those who have different opinions than you and working to find compromises. Just as my family passed this ideal on to me, I hope to spread this message to others, so they can live it out as well. We children are the face of the future, the ones who have the ability to make a change.
Looking around at the world today, I realize how self-centered and inconsiderate we have become. Everyone seems to be thinking only about their personal gain. And one of the many things my culture has instilled in me is that in order to ensure survival for future generations, we need to think about other people. We can't just go around hoarding resources for ourselves. Imagine what a better world we could make if we made choices that took into consideration the present common good and that of the future. Imagine what could happen if we took actions not just for the sake of ourselves, or even just for our own children, but for the sake of everyone.