The Rich Brother

Donald and Pete are brothers... this fact is relayed in the first line of the story as if we must know this because we could never have guessed otherwise. Their relationship is very distant and they exist in worlds that are totally opposite, where they resemble men of totally different caricatures. Pete is a real estate man with a wife and kids. He has the home, the steady income and a stable hold in his future. Donald is the very definition of unstable. He roams from place to place trying to find acceptability in various religions. He is a man who starts but never finishes, a quitter and a weak individual that indulges in situations to focus on others in order to defer all focus off himself. The diversity among these two men is pondering. The fact that they share no likeness, makes it hard to believe they grew up in the same home and were raised by the same parents. Nonetheless, it is what it is. As with any human... one has what the other is longing to have, whether they realize it or not. Donald wishes he could attain some of the stability that his brother has. He longs not to be the one who always messes up. People like Donald do not strive to be the way they are.... they just don't know any different because that is the only way they can see themselves and the only way others can see them. Pete longs for some freedom and maybe a chance to not to be the big brother. I believe that people can change to a certain extent (they must be willing for this change) but at the same time they will remain the same. One should just realize this and try not to get in the business of changing other people. As unique individuals we should accept one another and learn how to make our relations work, especially if it is family.

My Reflections

A compilation of my thoughts of certain assigned pieces of literature