Natural Selection
A life worth living is not without its fair share of adversity. When we struggle, we learn what it means to change and adapt. In the novel, Look me in the eyes, the author grows up with an undiagnosed disorder known as Asperger's syndrome; the ability to socialize and communicate with others quickly became a burden early on in his childhood. Although, I can never truly experience what it is like to live with John’s disorder, I do empathize with his feelings of disconnect and social awkwardness. Making friends during my younger years felt like going on a long voyage and never reaching my destination. To make things worse, having asthma meant a long list of complications that made me different from other kids. From reading about …show more content…
There isn’t a need to excel at it, simply a drive to improve and a desire to fully immerse yourself in it, is all that is necessary. Struggling to socially interact with others, John spent an abundant amount of time alone and allowed the field of engineering to consume him. He describes how he feels towards it by saying, “I was itching to take them apart so I could figure out how they worked” (pg. 61). Itching is an uncontrollable feeling that only goes away when you scratch at it. The author’s use of figurative language suggests that his desire to know how things work controlled him. The image of a little boy with a screwdriver surrounded by electronic parts definitely comes to mind when reading the author’s description. Much like the way John feels about engineering, I feel the same about basketball. When I am on a basketball court I don't feel the pressure of trying to interact with others; it's just me the hoop and the ball. Although my skills were quite lacking, it didn't bother me. Even just the sound the ball made as it bounces on the hardwood floor was enough to bring me joy. I didn't know it then, but basketball would lead me to life long friends and engineering would lead John to the love of his