Doria 1

Ronald Doria

LBST 2101

Professor Celia Sinclair

April 4th, 2017

A Good Life: Finding Yourself

When this project was first introduced to us, I immediately knew I was going to interview

my mom. I planned to interview my mom with the idea that she would give me the answers that I

needed to make this an easy essay, but as we talked more and more about the project, I realized

how little I actually knew about my mom and her idea of a good life, and previous experiences

she has had. Do not get me wrong, my mom is the person that I know best in the entire world,

but this is like a whole different face of her life that I had not really put much thought into asking

her about it. I know that she is very religious and I expect some of her answers to be heavily

skewed towards a religious background, but I am excited to find out more about her life; she has

been there for all of my life, but I have only been there for a third of hers!

My moms name is Mirian Coronado. She is from the same country as I, Venezuela. She

was born in 1956, being 60 years old now. She is currently a petroleum engineer planning to

retire soon. Her husband, my dad, was born just a week before her, being 60 years old as well.

They had been together for around 29 years before they separated. I have to admit that their

separation was one of the toughest times of my life; this happened 4 years ago, when I was 16.

For as long as I have a memory, I will always remember my mom as the most caring,

loving, generous, honest (seeing her trying to lie is just hilarious) person I know. She will never
 Doria 2

forget to snap at me if she sees me throwing away even the smallest bit of food, claiming: there

is people who would die for what you are throwing away, when what I was throwing away

could not even feed a cat. Her most outstanding characteristic is the fact that she will help

everyone that she can, without expecting ANYTHING in return. Of course, this trait also has a

negative side since there will always be people who will take advantage of that, but she still

believes helping people is her duty.

Although I really wish I could take my mom out for pizza for this interview, the distance

makes it somewhat impossible, so phone call it is.

The first question was: In your opinion, what are the main characteristics of a good

life?

Her response: For a good life, what I consider to be the main elements that will lead to a

good life are to have a proper home education, scholarly education, and a religious education. I

believe that these three elements heavily shape the person you become, and determine what a

good life is. Someone that is raised in a loving, strong home environment; in a responsible, well-

rounded social environment in primary school; and is religiously cultured, will have a good life

regardless of anything else because as a person they have everything they need to succeed.

For you, what is happiness?

For me, I consider myself a very fortunate person, because these days I have felt very

happy. What it stems from is having a healthy family, having friends to share experiences with,

having all the basic things you need to live (a roof over your head, food, basic hygiene

materials). I do not take wealth into consideration when it comes to happiness, because it does

not bring me any. I consider myself a happy person. And I have no one else to thank but God for
 Doria 3

this. Some people say that I spent a lot of my life trapped in walls at work in the office, but I

really enjoyed what I did, so it was not a weight on my shoulders to be there, that was also very

important for me to be happy.

What are the main problems that us humans should address as a race?

Pollution. Killing the only home we have. As a human race we could have chosen an

eco-friendlier way of industrialization. This will all impact us soon, and non-believers will stop

denying the reality. We can already see it with all the natural disasters that we have been

experiencing lately. The second thing that really should be addressed, is this social

decomposition that is currently threatening us. Here in Venezuela for example, peoples values

have gone out the window, people have lost respect for other peoples lives. Anyone will kill

anyone for material goods, everyone disrespects everyone. If everyone was religiously cultured,

this would not be happening. If we all united spiritually, we could put an end to this, but people

dont see it this way. It also stems from what I mentioned before, people were not raised in the

proper environments that I said in the first question, so it results in a very deranged way of life.

What has been the best experience of your life?

I think right now. I have found myself spiritually. It has made me become a better

person. Before I used to get mad when I would get back from work for example, and I would

have to cook when I got home after 10-12 hours of work. Now I see it as just a service that

fulfills me. The way I see life right now, it just fills me with peace. People spend their lives

trying to chase mundane things, but once you find yourself spiritually, you feel fulfilled, more

than anything else that you could achieve.

What has been the worst experience of your life?

 Doria 4

One of the worst experiences that I have been through was when your father and I

separated. It felt like everything was crumbling when I felt like everything was firm and strong.

When I found out about his infidelity it just destroyed me. But that experience was the first step

for me to find God. I felt His presence in me and I felt Him giving me strength through that

tough time. It also made your father improve as a person, he realized that family is the most

important thing he has, and him realizing how much he hurt his kids made him change as a

person and became more responsible. I think that experience also taught you (me and my

brothers) how a man should and shouldnt be. A family leader should be strong and should be

faithful, you are the spine of the family.

What is your biggest regret in life?

I would have loved to have a more flexible job that would have allowed me to share

more with you guys when you were younger. The job I have is not like I did not enjoy doing it or

that I did not like being there, but I feel that it was very important for me to spend more time

with you growing up, just like my mom did with me. I barely had any vacations with that job so I

wish I could have spent more time with you guys. But sometimes people cant get everything

they want. Something else I regret is that I wish I would have put more effort to find myself

spiritually when I was younger. It gives you such a great strength to face anything in life, that it

is unlike any other.

Are you where you thought where you would be?

Definitely, yes. When I was a kid I DREAMT of being a petroleum engineer. The fact

that I achieved that is incredibly fulfilling. Also I am very happy right now, which has always
 Doria 5

been my main goal. I think I have accomplished all my goals with my family and friends as well,

and I have to thank God for everything.

What is one event that you would go back to and why?

I think my childhood. Although it wasnt a very smooth one because my dad was

incredibly strict, living out in the fields was such a pleasant experience. (Then she proceeded to

mention all these different fruits that were available at the step of her door and how happy it

made her that this was all there for her.) My moms cooking was also incredible and made me

happy. Being in the company of all my brothers and sisters (some of them have passed away

now) and also my mom and dad being there just made it a perfect childhood. There was an

incredible sense of harmony between us.

What would be the best thing to happen to you today?

If I got even closer to God today, it would definitely be the best thing to happen. Having

God in your life just makes it so much better and fulfilling. I want to have more faith and get

closer to God.

What activity makes you the happiest?

Something I completely forgot!!! I dont know how I completely forgot about it, it is so

important for me. EXERCISE! It makes me incredibly happy, it helps me rest better and it makes

me healthier. I feel like I NEED exercise in my life. Also reading/hearing the word of the Bible,

it makes me incredibly happy. Religious growth and physical activity makes me happy.

Lastly, what advice would you like to give me?

 Doria 6

Spiritual growth. You need to find yourself spiritually. It gives you the strength you need

to face ALL the difficulties of life. If you have God with you in times of darkness, you will never

feel alone. You will become a better person, helping others and putting yourself in others shoes

it will just fulfill you. Once you find yourself, you need to help those around you find

themselves. That should be one of your goals. When one is strong spiritually there is nothing that

can stop you.

It is clear that my mom is a very religious person, and it is no surprise that most her

answers revolve around spiritual beliefs. This is discussed in our class very often. Being able to

find yourself spiritually whether it is through religion, meditation, or anything else has

undeniable benefits. I could clearly tell by my moms voice that this whole spiritual experience

that she has been going through has made her a much happier person than she was before. Her

fathers passing, the separation she went through, all the financial struggles that she has gone

through, her being separated from her children for a great portion of her life are all difficulties

that can really destroy someone, but she found strength in God and I admire her for it. One of the

things that the book The happiness hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt mentions is that it is of

utmost importance to find happiness within yourself, rather than materialistic possessions or

social approval, which I think my mom has put emphasis on. Another way that she has found

happiness is by giving and helping others, which is also mentioned in the book. Giving to others

causes personal fulfillment.

This interview made me connect with my mom in another facet. For me it was especially

emotional when she mentioned that she wishes that she spent more time with me and my

brothers when we were growing up, considering that I am so far away from her currently and she
 Doria 7

is growing old. That being said I am extremely happy to find out that she has find happiness with

her religion and that she feels fulfilled.

WORD COUNT: 1936.

 Doria 8

Thank you, Mom.