Chances and Choices by Morgan Oborny

Have you ever heard the saying, you only get one chance at life? I disagree. People often are caught within a life threatening experience. After the events cease they are left with a new aspect of life and a second chance to repair their mistakes. No, you can not live again, but you can have second chances to fulfill dreams and correct mistakes.

Often as young children we are easily influenced. We partake in events that cause us great trouble and influence the rest of our lives. Some of these children become involved in vicious gangs and groups. They then are sent to jail or juvenile centers. These children are not always bad, but influenced by bad people. I believe in a second chance for them to improve their lives. We have a criminal system that allows criminals to have a second chance. They have the chance to be valuable citizens in society and to start fresh as a good person.

All too often we hear, Study hard , you only have one shot to take your test. Is this fair? Students all have different stimulus that affect how they perform in school. Teachers often times give the option to retake quizzes, tests, or complete additional assignments. When we are informed of our mistakes, and we have another chance to show our skills and knowledge on certain subjects we are able to improve our scores. This is a second chance for us to prove ourselves in one aspect of our lives.

To forgive someone and give them a second chance is a very hard thing to do. One of the most painful experiences is to be betrayed by a significant other. Giving them a second chance allows them to prove themselves worthy of your trust. Today marriage is not treated as holy and binding as it once was. You hear of classmates whose parents have divorced for certain reasons. They often remarry later on in life to another person. This is their second chance to correct mistakes they previously made in their marriage. Though divorces happen, many other marriages do not end. The couple works past barriers and starts fresh. Their second chance helps them to forgive and understand each other with more experience.

Many times in my life I have heard the familiar saying Try, try again. We tell young children who start to walk to keep trying so they allow themselves to become more coordinated and easier for them to stand. This second chance to retry and to do again can carry over to being athletes. I have been in numerous sports, and I have never heard my coaches say to stop trying. They tell me that I will have another chance to improve my skills. I believe that we should be more like the small children who are learning to walk. We need to make ourselves stronger to ensure our second chance is successful.

I believe in second chances. People are able to learn from their mistakes and can try being better people. Harrison Ford once said We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance . Whether or not the change is large or small it is important to correct mistakes and keep trying.