Paulo HernandezID 11310758

I've never had a happy childhood. When I was young, my parents would always fight about how my father would not in any way help in the financial needs of the family. This was actually true. When my father did something idiotic when I was twelve- closing the shop of my mother that he almost never spent time in, my mother decided to take matters to court and annul their marriage. this event in my life has helped accelerate my maturity. I had always thought that no matter what problems my family faced, they will be able to solve it without conflict. I was such a naive child then. This event exposed me to one of the harsh realities that life has to offer. I learned to value my family more other than being proud of it. I now see my mother in a new light because she is the only one who raises us now. To somebody else, my family may be dysfunctional, but it is still able to support itself due to my mother.

As a child, I was not spared from the harshness of reality. But sometimes, it was just me who would make these realities harsh. Back then, I experienced a small form of injustice. I was born second among my three siblings, and I was always in conflict with my younger sister. Whenever my parents would catch us bickering, they would always take the side of my sister and scold me most of the time. No matter how much in the wrong my sister is, I would still receive the scolding from my parents. I never understood why this was when I was a child, but my mother and I managed to talk about this when I grew up. She told me I was scolded not because I was right or wrong in my and my sister's fights, but because I fought with her in the first place. In fact, when I was being scolded, I was always told to let my sister have her way for a while because of her young age. I always disregarded this advice because I always believed that we were equal and justice would always prevail no matter between whom the conflicts are. Such were my communist ways of thinking. If this were the system in today's society, then we would incarcerate even the mentally retarded who do not know what they are doing. We would lose our sense of morality and humanity and blindly follow the law that has its own shortcomings. Just as no man is perfect, nothing can be absolute or in this case, followed absolutely. These realisations made me appreciate our democratic system more. This experience has prepared me more for life and the injustices that it has. In every society, injustice is present most of the time. An example in the Philippines would be the accepting of bribes of police officers and how they are still free to continue on with their jobs despite having done such injustice to a citizen and the law. there are worse injustices happening all around the world, and what I've experienced with my mother and sister cannot even compare to them.

In the ears of a child, this would sound important; but to an adult's, it would be heard with apathy: "Pollution is a very serious problem in today's society." I was a child that loved the air conditioner, abusing cars, and loathed trash cans. When I would wait inside the car for someone, I forced the driver of the car to keep the air conditioners open. The car would hence continue spewing gases behind it just so I can enjoy the cold air in the car. I also saw everywhere as my trashcans and littered everywhere. When I reached the first grade of my primary education, I was taught about what pollution is. As a child, I saw this as an opportunity to observe something first hand. I was a curious child, and being a child has its limits of being able to observe phenomena personally. I loved this opportunity to be able to observe something that is taught in school. For the first time in a few years, I paid attention to my environment. What I was able to see and finally notice were cars belching black smoke and people like me who treated "everywhere" as

their trashcans. Through my first grade of primary education, I was made aware of what pollution is and how to prevent it; so the first thought that came to mind was "Have these people ever studied in the first grade?" I can proudly say that this experience had changed me for the better. As I grew up and become what I observed as a child- an adult, I am still able to remember what I was taught back then. I can now conclude my juvenile research with the statement:" It is not the problem of educating these adults, but it is the problem of instilling in them the values to love and appreciate their environment, nature, and their country."

By using the sociological imagination, I may see myself and what I've experience wholly differently. Instead of seeing things in an individualistic perspective, I may be able to relate everything to society and how my experiences affect it. Instead of seeing my parent's marriage annulment as a private trouble, I may be able to see it as a public issue just as what C. Wright Mills said. I will also be able to see my experiences a little like how another person would see them. Instead of " My parents separated because they are incompatible." I may think like " My parents separated due to the fact that malls were established that tempted my father to have fun and neglect his responsibilities." Using the sociological imagination helps me to see things more logically and be able to see through what my emotions would make me see. I believe that the ability to use the sociological imagination in seeing things is something that must be acquired by everyone.