Making Wrong Choices Good

      No one intends to make the wrong choice. Mr. Ono did not intend to make the wrong choice. This is why he was able to forgive himself. He did not expect others would forgive him, however. Everyone of us is Mr. Ono at one time or another. We do exactly what our parents do not want us to do, or we make a choice that will haunt us the rest of our lives. No one can avoid making a wrong choice from time to time. What is important is not the choice we make, but what we do afterwards to either make the situation right or learn from our mistakes and help others avoid the same mistakes. 

      According to Ishiguro, Mr. Ono had the comfort of knowing he had tried. I can relate to this. I came to America a long time ago for school but I was not able to finish school back then. I found a friend who led me away from school and into trouble. He convinced me that I would do better in school if I understood American culture and the best way to know American culture was to spend time in the bars. I became a floating artist, but I could not manage being a student. I could not manage my money because I was spending it all “learning American culture” and what I learned in the end was that when you are on a student visa and scholarship it is better to go to American classes than learn American culture. 

      I had to go home in deep shame and humiliation. It was a very long flight. For nearly twenty-four hours I sat on air planes, soaring closer to facing my parents. I knew they would be polite at the air port. In my culture saving face is important, like in Japan. I hoped they would even try to save my reputation. But I was prepared to face any punishment if I just did not have to see the disappointment in their faces. I was lucky. My parents said they blamed themselves for letting me leave home too young and unprepared. They also said that they wanted me to come back to the U.S., to Chico State, in order to redeem myself, my confidence, and reputation. My father told me that I had not failed him. This quote from Ishiguro explains what my father meant: “If one has failed only where others have not had the courage or will to try, there is a consolation, indeed, a deep satisfaction – to be gained from this observation when looking back over one’s life” (Ishiguro 172). Mr. Ono and I made mistakes. We had good intentions. We believed in the wrong people, but we did not know it at the time. Mr. Ono admitted his mistake and he tried to take the blame rather than letting his family suffer because of his choices. I too admitted my mistake and am working hard to restore my family’s good name. I will graduate at the end of this semester without any debts, with good grades, and my head held high. It is bad to make a mistake, but it is worse to make a mistake and not correct it or learn from it. You can turn a wrong choice, like mine and Mr. Ono’s into something good.