The Eternal Tug of War
Newton’s third law of thermodynamics states that any action has an equal and opposite reaction. Beyond its quantum, chemical, and other scientific applications, this law proves to be of great use in a social setting as well. This conclusion became incredibly evident to me through both the interviews as well as my personal reflections. We, the young Russians, were raised in a forceful manner. Our parents attempted to shelter us from their mistakes but in the process we were imprisoned in their schedules, structures, and regulations. As a result, their pushing us caused us to push back. Therefore, throughout the years when many teenagers are experiencing rebellious phases, we acted out and fought back against our individual upbringings more fervently than others. The iron fist with which we were ruled was met with a steel force. Understandably, this did not please our parents very much and as a result they attempted to tighten their grips on us. Thus, a tug-of-war of sorts ensued, and for a large portion of our high school lives we were in a Mexican standoff. Only when a balance was struck, when we were able to understand the necessity of the way we were raised and when our parents realized the necessity of our independence were we able to move on and begin growing into the adults we will one day become.