Sophomore Brown's Essay 'Footsteps'

Baptised Men The first major essay of Sophomore English class was to pen a concise memoir; a revelatory few pages that provided a brief gander into the souls of Mr. Damaso's apprehensive students. I elected to write about the relationship I have with my brother, which I assumed would be straightforward and fairly painless. Much to my amazement, my hands danced along the keyboard furiously, pounding away years of emotion onto the page. My own sincerity left me baffled, displaying how salient my brother was to the idiosyncrasies of my persona. I entitled the work "Footsteps," because its primary focus was how following in the path of my brother's life had affected me. After staring blankly at the magnificent chaos I had just created, I contemplated the future of those phrases. Was there anything particularly provocative …show more content…
What I wrote about my brother was deeply personal, but it was worthy of pride, not the humiliation we have been conditioned to feel for uncovering our sentiments. Removing the veil of discomfort freed me to forge a deeper connection with my brother, because he received me with unconditional acceptance. Brené Brown believes that a state of wholeheartedness can be achieved, but most fall victim to a numbing of vulnerability. She states that various deflecting habits are undertaken to suppress what should never be withheld. The solution to this can be found in an ancient Greek adage, inscribed on the Temple of Apollo. "Know Thyself." These two words are paramount in our understanding of what it means to live as baptised men: to know one's worthiness despite imperfection, and be wise enough to receive the weakness of others with compassion. If I could live perfectly as a baptised man, I would establish more connections, and attempt to mirror the approach of my brother, to take in the brokenness of my peers and respond with welcoming