AP English 11
17 August 2013

Forgotten What would one determine as the most unappreciated gift granted to all mankind? One may utter, “a warm bed, food to eat, or clean water to drink. ” But in all actuality, doesn’t mankind refuse to value the gift of life for how truly remarkable it is? Life, itself, is something that may be snatched away in the blink of an eye, only to leave others in remorse. But how does one determine if life was well spent? What makes a life worth living? And exactly how much influence do other peers in one’s life influence the outcome? The goal of many is to never be forgotten; to have an impact on the world like Ghandi, or Martin Luther King Jr. But who is to say that these historical figures are the only ones to leave behind a legacy? The Holocaust is an event that will never be forgotten, and for some, will forever haunt their hearts. 9/11 will always be celebrated as a day that the United States became a stronger, unified country, but will continually be remembered for the terrifying civilians who decided that the lives of many mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles would need to suffer for the sake of supremacy over another country. These two specific events will forever effect families, they will never be forgotten all at the sake of certain people; people whose desire was to make an impact on the world. Simple acts of kindness may go a long way. An effortless compliment shared between two strangers who happened to be in the same place at the same time may turn one’s day around enough to make them forget about the daily challenges of life and how they may be affecting them, or may affect them enough to convince them that life isn’t too hard, and just giving up isn’t the right decision. But all-in-all, how often does one remember the stranger that granted a compliment while crossing paths at the local grocery store? Even though these