Another Tim

Innocence cannot truly be preserved, but is that really such a bad thing? Although we may try to convince ourselves of its eternal perseverance, our attempts are never lucrative. Part of what makes an individual innocent, is a lack of awareness, and once we are enlightened, we cannot rewind to our former blank minds. An example of an individual's forever loss of innocence is my older brother. My brother, coincidentally named Tim, has been a firefighter since the age of sixteen. As a teenager, Tim experienced frequent life-threatening situations, from Philadelphia row home house fires,  to I-95 motorcycle accidents, to Skukill river water rescues. He was forced to grow up quickly. Tim's biggest stresses in high school weren't who he would take to junior prom, or whether or not the eagles would make it to the Superbowl, instead they were whether or not he had enough oxygen left in his tank to stay in the burning building, or if he would be able to regain a man's pulse. As a result of his exposure to such heavy truths at such a young age, Tim knew the realities of life much earlier than his teenage counterparts
From this description of my brother, many of you may picture him as a stern, cold person. But in reality, Tim is one of the goofiest people I know. He is a constantly smiling, and always looking to boost someone's spirits with humor. But do not be mislead by his silliness. When precarious or potentially dangerous situations arise, Tim is the first to react to the situation. He is able to instantly snap into "real world" mode, assessing the situation, and creating a plan. Tim's childhood innocence, including the intangibility of death and the seemingly forever persistence of human happiness, will never be reacquired. But would he really want them back? In my opinion, adult innocence is simply stupidity. There comes a time when we must all experience those seemingly impossible downs in life, for these downs allow us to more truly experience the ups.