When Does One Truly Reach Adulthood? by Mary

When Does One Truly Reach Adulthood? by Mary - March 2017 Scholarship Essay

During my seventeen and a half hour flight to Syria, I sat next to an autistic boy named Mathew. Although he lacked a vital proficiency, he was a shrewd adolescent. Mathew was non-verbal, in fact, he only made peculiar noises; consisting of vowels such as E, O, and Y. Despite the fact that he could not speak, he still had a heart of gold.
As our flight advanced, it humored Matt to kick the lady’s chair in front of us. He kicked it repetitively and laughed after each time he did so. Over the course of our trip, the woman started to get frustrated. She kept turning around and yelling at Mathew, and saying things like, “Quit it kid!” and “Stop pissing me off!”
After our flight ended, the lady got up and reached over her seat and grabbed her carry on from the compartment. In the process, she ‘accidentally’ dropped it on top of Mathew’s mother who had been kneeling down to help Mathew, and her new born son Michael, put their shoes on.
I was in awe, and utterly disgusted. Enough was enough and I knew I had to speak up for Mathew and his mother. With my weak, six year old voice, I shouted at the top of my lungs for security. I announced that this ungodly woman had physically abused another lady because of her disabled son’s actions. Security escorted her off of the plane and helped Mathew’s family.
After this, I was no longer a mere toddler, but a sovereign adult. I was the voice of a boy named Mathew, who also happened to be my brother.
Mathew is the essence of why I became an adult at such a young age. I was his voice, in the noisy world among us. I held his hand in restaurants; to make sure he wouldn’t make a scene, I was his partner in Halloween costume contests; to help him get over his fear of being alone, I even helped him learn how to swim; because he was afraid of the deep end, but little did he know, he was the one helping me dive into the darkness of the world.
Although I helped Matt, he was actually the one helping me. He brought meaning to my life, and helped open my eyes to the truth of modern society. He helped me discover the vulgar and grotesque reality of the mortal beings we were surrounded by. Through my brother, I saw what I hoped nobody would ever see; I saw the horrid side of human beings. I saw the tormenting, the teasing, the abuse, and the pain they caused him. However, I failed to keep silent. Just as the plane ride, I was his voice; I was his light. I was unable to keep him safe from physical agony his peers were causing him but, I was his best friend, his partner in crime. I helped him feel loved, wanted, and needed. When he walked into the room, I made him feel like the most important person. I showed him that there was still happiness somewhere in this world, he just had to know exactly where to find it. He couldn't speak, but he understood what unconditional love was, and that was what I gave him.
True adulthood is reached once one finds his or her purpose in the world; and my purpose was to instill love and confidence into my brother. As I blossom into an adult, my connection with him grows stronger, and our bond as siblings stays everlasting.