The Grains of Trust by Kathy Angela

The Grains of Trust by Kathy Angela - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

In 2014, I attended a high school conference hosted by AB Samahan, a Filipino-American organization, at San Diego State University. I participated in a workshop where we learned about the Filipino culture and some of our most common proverbs. The teacher in charge of the workshop, Mr. Idos, explained an analogy that hit home for me: “Hold them like you would grains of sand. If you hold them too loose, they will lose their structure, fall through and be exposed to the frightening world. If you hold them too tight, they will suffocate and become trapped under your care. Find the balance and peace will be achieved.” The grains of sand symbolizes trust and the way the sand is held represents how that trust can be lost.

With that, this analogy is so versatile, it can describe different types of relationships. An example would be the relationship between parents and their children. If the parents were lenient towards their children, letting them do whatever they want and not discipline them, the children would think that every decision they make is right. In contrast, if the parents are too strict upon their children, they will end up becoming rebellious and not want to listen to whatever their parents have to say. Therefore, parents must find that balance of being strict and lenient to maintain a healthy relationship with their children.