Changing Your Perspective

As a young kid, I was an avid reader. So much so that my parents stopped purchasing books for me and forced me to go the library because my hobby had become quite expensive. The summer I was 11, my mom planned a trip for us to go to Iran to visit our family and she promised to purchase some books for me to read when we arrived since I couldn’t keep my library books checked out for the duration of our trip. She went to a bookstore once we were in Tehran and she unknowingly purchased Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen for me. I read the book and fell in love with the main character Elizabeth Bennet, learning through her that staying true to yourself no matter what was of the utmost importance. I also learned an even greater lesson through her love interest, Mr. Darcy, that just because you may think you know what someone is thinking doesn’t make it true. I became fascinated with human behavior and understanding how different people are. It was an amazing lesson to learn through the book at such a young age and allowed me to form an open mind without any judgment while also feeling confident in being myself.