My Father, My Hero

Every time I think of a hero, I am reminded of my father. My father is a man who overcame the odds of growing in a developing country, in South East Asia. Coming from a poor background, my father had little chances of success. At that time, securing gainful employment was difficult, especially for the illiterate members of the society. As such, my grandparents, who were uneducated and had no political connection, struggled to raise their children. By the time my father was growing up, the Indonesian society had been experiencing challenges, which authorities found it difficult to tackle. Indonesia was struggling with redressing the consequences of its troubled history which began with the conquest and fragmentation of the country by the Dutch and the British colonialists (Robison 23-26). My father belonged to the baby boomer generation, a generation that suffered a lot in the post war struggle for independence as well as during the Suharto regime. This means that he had to struggle a lot in his endeavor to have a decent life. The paper addresses the reason why I do consider my father as my hero.

As I grow up, I have been able to establish a friendly relationship with my father. As a family man, our family has been known to us as “a Mr. Fix it”. We adopted the name following the inspiration that he gave us and for being a provider, a protector, as well as a hero. He does not hesitate to do the best for his family, especially on matters regarding the foundations of our futures. That is evident in the manner in which he considered sending me here, in America, so that I can take advantage of a superior education system. This shows that, despite his challenging past, he is not a mean person. He has always emphasized on the need to educate his children in the best manner possible, and it is for this reason that he never hesitates to facilitate the best education for his children. Most importantly, we stay in touch. My father shows a lot of interest in my dairy progress at school as well as the society. During most of our conversations, we discuss topical issues regarding our future, the family, as well as the future of Indonesia.

Considering the much he has achieved, it is intriguing to listen to him as he talks about his past. Despite coming from a family “with no means”, he remained focused on his education. He had a remarkable zeal to achieve, particularly being brought up in an environment of scarcity that was marked by non-indulgence on non-necessities. His childhood was complicated by the situation unfolding in the country. It was during wartime, as despite the end of the Japanese occupation, Indonesia had to endure instances of hostilities. People adapted into living in fear and uncertainty. Nonetheless, the fear did not hold him back from his goal and strategies for the future. In fact, he was lucky that despite the poverty in his family, the need for austerity and family effort did not prompt his parents to curtail his academic efforts. My father utilized the rare opportunity wisely, a situation which laid a strong foundation for his and his family’s future.

My father’s academic efforts paid off. By the time he was in the elementary school, he had been attracting sponsors with his commendable performance. Indonesian society has a culture of unity for good courses. In fact, the challenges that the country underwent in its formative years did not wipe culture out. As such, my father’s performance did catch the attention of several well wishers. He, therefore, managed to complete his studies up to the tertiary level. The sponsorships that he attracted are a clear indication that his conduct was upright. This is due to the fact that sponsorship in Indonesia has always been attached to good conduct. As a Muslim majority country, the citizens of Indonesia would deny support to an individual on the grounds of demeaning behaviors. In fact, during my father’s childhood, Indonesia was still to adopt western values and practices. As such, at most uprightness was a necessity for one to be recognized in the society. For instance, a drunkard student or one who hurl insults at others would barely get support in anything. It is for this reason that I tend to believe that he was a well behaved student.

In addition to poverty and instability in the society, my father suffered the tragedy of losing his parents while in high school. This tragedy placed a tremendous burden on him as he had to find a home for himself, i.e. a place he could rest after school. The rise to power of General Suharto complicated matters for him. Almost everyone in the country suffered, particularly those that lacked political and military connections. Indonesia experienced a period economic collapse, which culminated into failure of several corporations failing to repay their debts (Taylor 2). One of these corporations was Pertamina, the state-owned oil corporation. The collapse put a lot of pressure on the people as the government had to cancel vital projects, some of which included educational infrastructure. Many people lost hope in life and they resolved to sit back and watch the situation unfold. Their lives were destroyed and hopes were shattered. Suffering in the society was aggravated by people’s resolution to relax (World Bank). My father continued working purposefully to the end. As such, his grades remained attractive, a fact that earned him a place in college.

With adequate educational background, my father was able to secure gainful employment. He began by purchasing basic commodities as he had none by the time of his employment. It is at that time that he married. Challenges did not derail my father from achieving his goals. In fact, according to him, he has exceeded his long term objectives. Hus greatest breakthrough came along when he decided to be an entrepreneur. Since he set up his first enterprise, he has been focused and disciplined, a situation that resulted into a great deal of success. As of now, he is the owner of a couple of enterprises in Indonesia, some of which do have branches in Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia. It is captivating to listen to him attributing his success, mainly, to his conduct and hard work. His excellence, despite the initial challenges, motivates me to work hard at school and life in general.

Despite his work commitments, my father finds time for the family. He has been there when we need him, and even when he is away for business engagements, he makes frequent phone calls ensure that the family is safe. He has, on many occasions, stated that his regard for the family supersedes all other engagements, including business activities. Whenever he is in our home city, he tries as much as possible to be home early enough for the family to have dinner together. My father has succeeded in instilling a sense of commitment in me and my siblings. As his children, we are focused at achieving our goals. One of the most important achievements is that all children, including the married ones, do come home. Our family is bounded by a strong sense of attachment to our parents. This is unique, especially at a time when most young people in Indonesia are yearning for self-reliance and personal independence.

My father expects success in all his engagements. In fact, he expects his children to succeed in school as well as in everything they do. As an entrepreneur, he appreciates that this may not be easy. However, he wants us to keep trying as competition increases by the day. With regard to the massive workload that he has to handle, most people would expect father to be workaholic. On the contrary, he has a way of balancing work and family issues. He does so without hurting the members of the family and his workmates. His social life is as successful as his working life. He has strong social ties, a situation which keeps him informed, and this works very well for him as a businessman.

Taking father as my hero has helped me become self-motivated and optimistic in life. As much as he has acquired the corporate culture, his social background has persisted. The manner in which he matches the two is unparalleled. His performances leave me humbled as I am reminded that persistence and hard work pays. He has inspired me to remain firm and purposeful in life. Every time I encounter a challenge in life, I am reminded of the many challenges my father overcame (Stead 7). For this reason, my father remains to be my hero, and I believe that heeding to his advice will facilitate my achievement in life.