The Path, The Risk to Take

The
Path, The Risk to Take 

Everyone is
destined to follow their unique path, which can oftentimes become
unbalanced or rough, forcing one to lose their way, but it is at this
moment when an undiscovered world is unveiled, escorting one to
another path of reinvigorated opportunities. This is why uncertainty
in life cannot be explained and should be embraced. 

At dawn a
person can be with their most beloved person, holding them, not
knowing it may be the last time. That was the case for a close friend
and his father. The man’s path led him to death by misadventure in
an undeserved way: a road accident. My friend’s father woke up in
the early morning to go bicycling. His cycling team usually biked
through the city, but occasionally took countryside routes, like
Quezaltepeque. Quezaltepeque is filled to the brim with Salvadoran
factories, resulting in a plethora of container load trucks
circulating these freeways daily. The man’s life was stolen by a
mere two factors: wind buffeting a container truck and his loss of
balance. Wind buffeting forced the man to lose his stability, forcing
him to fall. The container truck ran over him; the driver unaware of
the incident. Within minutes the news reverberated nationally,
evolving into a heartbreaking story for all Salvadorans. 

After one
week of mourning, I commenced a summer internship at Kimberly Clark.
For three weeks I traveled the same road where the accident
transpired. Every day I was shocked to see vulnerable civilians
crossing the roads while massive trucks hurried up to them like
cheetahs seeking their prey. My friend’s loss was shocking, and I
decided on modifying the tragic accident to create a way of
preventing history from repeating itself.  

Since we
could walk, we have been warned to be cautious crossing roads, but
though we know better, we often fall back into old habits,
prioritizing time or our phones rather than our safety. Wanting to
take full advantage of the learning opportunity, I approached someone
with proficiency in the topic: my mother. My mother works both
locally and globally with the Automovil Club of El Salvador and the
Fédération
Internationale de l’Automobile, respectively. Through her, a path to
the answer began to be paved. 

On the road
to success lies my integrity, determination, and even fears related
to resolving this problem. With this basis of perseverance and want
to better society, building a tower on my road. My tower will extend
farther than any other tower and will reach people nationwide to
decrease accidents. The lower level of the building is the vigorous
foundation I need to make this building stronger. I wish I could say
that I eradicated this threat to public safety in my country, but for
now, all I can say is that small endeavors result in a substantial
change. Currently, I volunteer every Saturday, training those in the
city of San Salvador that have had their license seized or are simply
acquiring driving skills in road safety. 

Right now,
I have the chance to educate the people in my country and emphasize
the importance of road safety and to acknowledge that not only load
trucks or cars have access to roads, but also that motorcycles and
bicycles should be respected. I have been conscious and fortunate
enough to not be involved in any traffic accident, however, someone
with whom I was close was a victim, which then inspired me to take
action for the cause. I am familiarizing myself with a world I want
to restore, making roads havens instead of danger zones; one less
threat to Salvadorans’ livelihood. Every Saturday morning I wake
up, feeling motivated to bring about change in my country. It pushes
me to step out of bed and aim towards the improvement of my
community, educating them about the significance of security on the
roads.