In this cold generation :: essays papers

In this cold generation In this cold generation, called "Generation X," where young men and women find themselves lost wondering what to do with their life, finding a passion for something, a passion that rules your life, is very important. I found out in my interview with Phil Gervais that unlike many of his generation he has a direction. He looks like any other 18 year old, but he is different because in some way he has what many of us lack: he knows what he wants. He wants to become a firefighter. Phil has found a passion that rules his life. Phil is pursuing a major in Social Rehabilitation but as soon as he finishes college, he will apply for a job with the Fire Department in his hometown of Ware Massachusetts. How did Phil develop this passion? Phil's desire to become a firefighter is an inherited trait because for generations many members of his family served as firefighters. This family legacy remarkably influenced Phil's choices in life. His grandfather Ernie, an emigrant from Canada, became the first one to enroll as a volunteer firefighter. Then his father, his uncle and finally his aunt all became firefighters. Phil used to go with his father when he answered his fire calls. While accompanying his father in 1992, a time when Phil was only 8 years old, he saw a victim of a fire for the first time. His first encounter with a dead person did not discourage him from the idea of becoming a firefighter. How did it happen? One afternoon he went with his father to the scene of a fire and there he suddenly saw in the middle of the floor a dead body of one of the victims of the fire. Partially covered with a blanket, Phil could only see a few burned spots on the hands. Nevertheless, he was not scared. While accompanying his father on many fire calls, Phil heard many terrible noises and he felt the heat of the fire. He saw tragic sights such as the dead body on many occasions. These scenes became commonplace during his childhood. Now eighteen years old, Phil works as a volunteer firefighter in his hometown. Only last week he was able to put his training to practice in a real fire call.