A Lesson from Failure by Sanam

A Lesson from Failure by Sanam - February 2017 Scholarship Essay

Ten years ago I lost a friend who, still now, holds a special place in my heart. His name was Om; however, he preferred to be known as Jamin. Jamin was my childhood best friend. He and I did everything together: board games, imaginary adventures, swimming, and coloring. One of our favorite games was skipping on the floor tiles without touching the lines of the tiles when we went to the local department store with our moms. However I failed to be there for him and I failed to be kind to him once he was diagnosed with cancer.
At family gatherings I began to spend more time with older friends. I would see Jamin alone sitting next to his parents, yet I still wouldn’t talk to him or ask him to play with me. One evening as he was sitting on my living room couch with his parents, I passed by and saw that he had my white blanket wrapped around him. It made me upset. When his family left, I asked my mom to wash the blanket.
Several months later, we gathered for Jamin’s funeral to commemorate his short-lived, but impactful life. While sitting outside the temple I listened as his older sister and a family friend discussed how the only traces of his body that were left were his ashes. Bewildered by their discussion, I asked if Jamin’s body had been cremated. Instantly after they replied yes, I burst into tears. That was the first time I cried after Jamin died: the moment I was forced to grasp the thought that my best friend was no longer alive and that he was just gone.
Jamin’s sister told me, “Om (Jamin) came into our lives for a reason - to change my family’s life for the better. And once he did that, it was time for him to leave.” As I reflected on what she told me, I felt as if Jamin came into my life for a reason as well - to teach me to be a better person and learn from my mistakes. I determined to be kind to everyone, to always cherish and value my relationships with others, to be more appreciative, to work hard and make the most of this life that I was given. Life is too precious to be taken for granted. Perhaps this explains why I participate in cancer walks, fundraisers, park clean-ups and multiple service projects throughout the year for I now place a high value on my service to others. Perhaps this also explains why I spend countless hours studying hard for school because I believe that working hard is essential to initiating change.
I feel blessed to have the privilege to live a healthy life and further my education, privileges Jamin was not given. For that, I will forever remain positive and appreciative even during tough times.
A few years ago, my father experienced an immense business failure in which he lost over half of a million dollars. This situation placed exorbitant amount of stress on my family. As a consequence, my parents filed for a divorce last summer. Rather than letting it affect my life negatively, I chose to work harder and focus only on the positive aspects of this situation; I was still blessed to live a healthy life and further my education, privileges I had learned to cherish the most after Jamin passed away.
I feel that I failed Jamin as his life was coming to an end; however, his presence in my life certainly did not fail me. To always thank him for making me a better person, I will be there for those who need my support; I will value friendships and relationships; and I will always remain thankful and positive. Most importantly, I will always strive to change people’s lives for the better, like Jamin changed mine.