My own critical incident takes place in Fareham, in the year 2015. Well and truly, I could cite the entirety of the two years I spent at Fareham college as one long incident, but I’ve decided to zero in on one specific inciting moment, one that set off the chain of events that lead me to the man I am today.
In order for this story to make any sense, I first have to give some background exposition. Several years ago, the exact number eludes me, I had immense trouble walking, and, as such, was wheelchair-bound when it came to anything beyond a brief stroll round the block. The cause of this was osteoporosis, a ‘bone waste’ condition. Through deficiencies in vitamin D, calcium, and iron, my bones were weaker than they were supposed to be; had our search for the cause of these issues taken much longer, there is a very real chance it could have devolved into brittle bone syndrome.
With this foundation laid down, flash back to September 2015. I had gotten it into my head that I could be a decent plumber. Though I knew my body was my nemesis, I believed that my mind would be suited to the occupation. It was our first proper practical session in the workshop, my mind was, as I had expected, a very good fit for construction work. My body, however, wasn’t fond of the idea. The task was simple as can be; screw four pipe clips, in a horizontal line, into the wall. Yet, I couldn’t do it. I was trying my hardest, and I could not get the physical strength behind me to get these screws into the chipboard. My capacity for thought was drowned out by the screams of my spine and shoulders, begging me to stop. Multiple pairs of eyes were on me, and I swear I heard someone make a remark about me crying, which, in truth, I was close to doing. I felt so pathetic, so helpless, so weak. The anger, shame, and humiliation gave birth to something new on that day. A righteous fire, a drive to strike back and spit in the eye of the injustice of my situation, a hunger to grab the world by the throat, and force it to give me what I wanted. On that day, I chose to challenge my fate, I chose to fight back, and I’ve been fighting back ever since.
It is because of that incident that I value education so much. In just two short years, because I took control of my education, I was able to fix my life, to turn myself around and become someone I felt was worth being. Education, thanks to that year of plumbing, is now an integral part of who I am. It anchors me; learning gives me a sense of purpose. Looking back, I can trace many of my ideas and perceptions of education to that special year; I believe that education is one of the world’s foremost means of self-discovery, it is the process through which humanity evolves. Until that day, I was a layabout. I had no clue where I was going, my learning was a mix of trying to secure some vague future, and trying to put off my own unemployment. But once I began that course, it all changed. No more was I ambling through my own education, instead I was building my own future, carving my own path, and I refused to let anything stand between me and what I wanted to learn.