Toni Outlaw
English 101
Mr. Compton
02/11/14
Growing up I could never recall being alone or feeling alone. It was as if I had a constant reminder that I was genuinely loved and cared for at all times. Cliché as the saying may be, it does take a village to raise and child and that is exactly what my family did. Although it is many of us and we are all scattered around the country, Durham North Carolina seemed to be our common place. It was where our heart resided until our heart no longer had a beat but that didn’t change a thing, the distance didn’t change the fact that we were a family nor did it change our love for one another. They are the reason why I am the person I am today because of their teachings and wisdom they have instilled within me. My family taught me faith, how to love, and overall what a real family was all about and with that being said, I strongly believe that family, love, and religion has had a strong impact on the way I view the world today. For as long as I can remember family has always been a big deal. I was fortunate enough to have both parents raise me along with my grandparents, brothers, sisters, and a host of other family members both related and unrelated. Because of how close knit we were it wasn’t long before their ways and views became my ways and views. Family are the first friends that you ever encounter and because you begin to pick up on things at such a young age, I thoroughly believe that family has the biggest and easiest impact on my views. If you have ever had the pleasure of watching a young child grow up, you know that once they hit a certain age they begin to watch and mimic everything they see around them. Therefore if they see someone around them act violently towards others, they begin to do so as well. With that being said, I think that is why my family and I share the same ways and views. I have watched a mimicked them all my life so it is as if it became second nature to have the same ways and views. Although as I began to grow and develop my own views, I believe that my family still had an impact on that as well. With my family being my biggest support system it really was not a surprise to me that I would latch on to their views so heavily. When someone is a big influence in your life it is hard not to catch on to his or her ways and I believe that it is what happened to me. I was introduced to love at a young age, experiencing it as its best and purest form from my family. Not only did I experience it but also I saw it and felt it on a daily basis just from how we interacted with one another. I am most amazed at the amount of love I receive from family that is not of blood relation to me. To be able to treat someone as if they were your own is simply amazing to me considering how this world is today. Receiving that and also seeing the unconditional love being displayed through my parents and grandparents really shaped how I viewed the world. It made me question why it was so much hatred and anger in society today. For a long time I did not know that there were so many people who weren’t like my family and I quite didn’t understand why. I had people that were of no kin to me treat me as if I were so why couldn’t everyone be like that? My family taught me to love everyone regardless of who they were, how they treated me or if they liked me or not. Because of that I believe it shaped me early to be a well-rounded citizen in todays world. I am one less hateful person in this world because my family taught me the true meaning of love and I am forever grateful for that. Religion was something that I learned quickly and something that my family takes very