Bird in cage

This story is about my life. It expresses my experiences and my perspective on what life has given me. Thank you all for taking your valuable time to read it, sincerely, thank you.

So, let me briefly talk about my family and my life so far. I was born in a bustling city in Southeast Asia. When I was just a child, my family struggled to maintain our daily life. At that time, it was very hard to earn money, and when too much pressure was put on my parents, I became a place for them to release their stress. I don’t mean they were physically violent toward me, but their actions and words felt like thousands of knives stabbing me.

You know, they were typical Asian parents, which means they placed their unfulfilled dreams on me. Whenever I did something wrong or disappointed them, I was surrounded by harsh words that felt like nightmares. But when my little sister was born, they changed significantly. They became softer, more empathetic… they became great parents. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not jealous of my little sister. It’s just something that has always been hard for me to understand.

Later when i graduated my highschool, my mom directed me into a major I didn’t want to study, and toward a job she considered stable for someone like me. A loser, I guess.

This is the most important part I want to share with you. I’m sorry I can’t mention my job—it’s a secret. But now, I live within four walls. You can interpret that in many ways. I receive a monthly salary and do whatever my boss wants. I’ve become the kind of person I used to hate. I smoke, I drink, I throw my life away at parties. I don’t want to live like this, but my job requires it, so I have no choice.

Now I feel like a bird in a cage.Well-fed, safe, but slowly destroying my life, pushing it toward the edge. Some people ask me if I’m not satisfied with this life, why don’t I give up everything and start over. The truth is, I don’t know where to begin. I don’t have any knowledge about the real world outside of my job. And I’m scared, scared of my family, scared of the expectations placed on me, scared to leave this “safe” cage. A bird that has been trapped for too long forgets how to fly.

Guys, this is my confession. I know I might just be a loser in this society. But I still wanted to share this with you—people who don’t know me, but might understand my feelings. Thank you again for reading all of this. And if you can, please give me your honest advice.