My Brothers, Too

I find it interesting that siblings raised together in one household can turn out so differently. One might expect children from the same family to have similar attitudes toward the world around them. While this fact is not uncommon, it is not always the case. My two brothers illustrate different paths that people can take from a common starting point.

Bill, my older brother, could be described as a drifter, a nomad, a free spirit with no ties to hold him down. He is single, has no children, and doesn’t own a house. His few possessions are usually stored in my parent’s attic.

After attending college to study chemical engineering, Bill chose not to pursue employment in that field. Instead, he works sporadically in restaurants, only long enough to get money for another journey. He thinks nothing of collecting his things and setting out to climb a mountain, or embark on a long hike.

Bill loves to be out of doors, and spends much of his time living in the woods and hiking about. Some of his notable achievements include hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine, and climbing all the Presidential peaks of New Hampshire’s White Mountain range..

Bill sees no sense in saving for the future, or even to buy an automobile now. Going through life doing just as he pleases, he shows no sense of obligation to anyone, not even himself. Bill seems to have no appreciation for the material wealth most of us strive to amass. Choosing instead to live on the outskirts of society, he asks for little in return. Because of his financial status, or lack thereof, society would label him a miserable failure.

My younger brother, Andy, who has taken a completely different path, pursues the American dream in a more traditional manner. Andy is married, has two children, and lives in a house that he started saving for before his wedding. Employed steadily as a machinist since before finishing high school, Andy is following a plan that he devised at an age when many people could not see beyond tomorrow.

Andy works hard to pay his own way, and put money away for the future. He is compassionate towards others, and believes we should each try our best, to earn our own rewards. Andy is a full and contributing member of society. However, striving to achieve financial success, he is forming the bonds that will keep him in slavery. Like many of us, he is sacrificing today to pay for tomorrow. This fiscal conservatism is a trait that many of us admire; while at the same time we wish we could enjoy the full benefit of our labor each day. Andy will continue to play the game just as our father did before him, trying to find the balance of enjoying life now, while setting aside anything extra to sustain him in the future.

My two brothers, products of the same environment, have taken paths so different you might never guess they were from the same family. It’s almost as if my father were divided into two parts, Bill the dreaming boy, and Andy the practical man. Knowing them only a short time, one would probably conclude they have little in common. The similarities begin to show however, as time goes on.

Both of my brothers are friendly, outgoing, and eager to make new friends. While they are seldom at a loss for words, they’re good listeners who are genuinely concerned for others. They show respect for people and the Earth around them. Even though their patterns of working differ markedly, you get a full day of work for a day’s pay, from either of them.

As busy as Andy is in the pursuit of his dream, he still finds time to hunt and fish, canoe, and take his family camping. At home, he spends much of his time in the yard. He loves to be outside, even though his other obligations force him to set priorities.

While Bill seems not to care for the future, he keeps a journal of his adventures. These stories might someday make our treasures seem trivial. He is after all, doing things that many of us only dream of, as we drive to our steady jobs. I believe that someday he plans to write a book. Perhaps he is saving for his retirement, and we just haven’t noticed.

The differences and similarities between family members has always intrigued me, I wonder what different experiences shape peoples personalities as they grow. Knowing its history makes looking at my own family especially interesting. When I look at my two brothers and see what they have become, the greatest irony for me, is that as different as they are, I can see pieces of myself, in both of them.