What my favorite book by one of my favorite authors, This Side of Paradise by F Scott Fitzgerald, means to me.
This is what the concept of the title, not the meaning of the book This Side of Paradise, means to me.
I read this book around late summer of 2019 when I was 23 years old. I found so much value in this book, but today I want to discuss what the title meant to me.
To me, This Side of Paradise means that even when you live in paradise, you can still have problems and struggles.
Having money, friends, confidence, good looks, or anything else that people view as valuable does not mean you cannot go through difficult times or have traumatic experiences happen to you.
Just because you choose to live a life that seems like paradise does not mean your life is perfect.
I grew up with two parents. My mother stayed home with me, my brothers and sister, and my father worked for his own painting business. He earned a good amount of money, and my family had everything and more that we needed.
The teachers, students, friends, and family around me all thought that was enough. Because of that, many people believed I had never been through anything difficult. They thought I lived in paradise.
I was also good at sports, had a lot of friends, was kind-hearted, confident, funny, created music, received good grades, and many girls liked me.
From the outside, it looked like I had everything.
What people didn’t know or didn’t care to see was that we were a family just like everyone else.
We had our struggles. We had our problems. Life is hard for everyone.
No matter what kind of lifestyle we live, we are still human beings trying to survive and figure out this life.
My family and I have been through traumatic experiences over the years, and maybe one day I will write about them in more detail.
One story I will mention, and one that I may write about more in the future, happened when I was 11 years old, just one week before my 12th birthday.
My father was playing cricket at a family park in the morning when he was shot. The bullet went through his body, and he ended up on life support.
He survived, and he is still living today. I have worked with him in his painting business for the past 12 years.
This is only one out of many tragic stories that have happened to my family and me.
From the outside, someone may look like they are living in paradise, but you never truly know what someone is carrying inside.
Find yourself, fall in love, and explore life.
Stay Misguided
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