To be quite frank, before applying for this scholarship, I had never heard of the cancerous disease, mesothelioma. I honestly did not even know it was a disease to begin with. I figured I could get some quick easy information from my parents about it though before I began my own research because my parents are fairly educated people that know a little about a lot of stuff. To my surprise however, they had heard of it, but knew nothing about it. I thought to myself, “how can there be such a potent cancer that even my parents know so little about?”
I could continue this essay by writing a laundry list of factoids and droning on about all the information I learned about mesothelioma, but that would be extremely boring and tedious. Knowledge of the facts is important, but not as important as it is to be able to apply facts and knowledge to everyday life.
The research I conducted on mesothelioma gave me insight and allowed me to realize some of the things we take for granted in America. I am sure this list is quite long, but that is a story for another time. I am pinpointing the one theme that constantly comes with America’s freedom. The men and women in the United States Armed Forces lay their lives on the line everyday to protect the people, freedom, and beliefs of the American people. But, many of these men and women did not realize they were also signing up for the possibility of contracting mesothelioma. The only known cause of mesothelioma is asbestos, which just so happened to be used a lot during World War Two all the way through the Korean conflict. Men and women in the armed forces were exposed to asbestos most commonly in shipyards, construction sites, and insulation.
Doctors however, often do not recognize the symptoms of this cancer until decades after being exposed to it. This gives the victims of the disease approximately one or two years to live after being diagnosed. After spending years fighting for America, it is unfortunate that men and women are being diagnosed with this terrible cancer.
The most disturbing thing I found was that some companies knew that asbestos were harmful to the people that were exposed to them, yet they did nothing about them. This frustrated me so much because men and women lay their lives on the line for the benefit of the people, yet some of the same people they are protecting are knowingly allowing them to be exposed to the harmful asbestos.
After learning about asbestos and the way some people handled them, I made it my goal to always practice good business etiquette. In the future, I will always treat people how they would like to be treated. If I find out something is harmful or hurting another person, I will not turn my back on them. Instead, I will use my moral compass to guide me in the right direction. I will not be the type of person that turns a blind eye on unethical, business practices. From now on, I will stand up for what is right. I know I alone cannot change the world and everyone’s business practices, but every little bit helps.
