My Individualities And Society: The Purpose Of Life

Ever since the dawn of human civilization, individuals have thought about what is so significant about their lives and how it relates to others around them and their respective societies. Some might ask, “what is the purpose of life?” Some might ask more specifically, “what is my purpose in the environment I reside in?” These are common questions of understanding the meaning of the internal and external components of life. According to C. Wright Mills (1959), “neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both.” The process of people understanding the relationship their individualities and societies is called the sociological imagination. The theory purposes that, when they explore their

This led to exploitation of the middle-class wages through taxation and few benefits. When I was born in 1996, my parents have already planned to leave Brazil to the land of opportunity. The main reason for the departure was due to a job shortage in our hometown. However, my parents had connections to help us get settled and find jobs for my dad. After arriving in Atlanta, Georgia with a tourist visa in 1999, my parents quickly searched for work. What significantly challenged my parents was the language barrier and the unfamiliarity with the new region as well as the culture. Growing up in American society was not difficult for me since I had little exposure to Brazilian culture. However, an aspect that would separate me from several of the people I would encounter was my undocumented status. After the 9/11 incident, it became more difficult to live as an immigrant due to several immigration policies that inhibited my parents from working legally. At an early age, I was aware of our undocumented status because my parents did not try to hide our family struggles with me. However, I didn’t worry that we would struggle that much.

According to a study done by Carlos Zubaran (2008), he states that “internal conflicts associated with obstacles faced in the host country may also predispose immigrants to psychotic states” such as anxiety (p. 601). For those who have little to none social networks in a new society as well as speak minimal to none of the region’s language, it would make sense for them to try to find others who may speak the same language. Because my family had some connections to get settled into their new life in America, it wasn’t impossible to adapt to the new society. Furthermore, we had several exposures to Brazilians living within our vicinity. By encountering several immigrants, we were able to form relationships as well as networking for job seeking. However, we also noticed division from some of our fellow countrymen. In her book, Goodbye, Brazil: Émigrés From the Land of Soccer and Samba, Maxine Margolis (2013) notes that “shared national roots are not always sufficient for individuals to identify and socialize with each other” (p. 197). There are Brazilians that have lived in the United States longer, were able to be naturalized, and climb up the social latter. In Los Angeles, “middle- and upper-middle-class Brazilian immigrants…avoid other Brazilians whom they consider of lesser rank” (p. 176). Although my family did not live in Los Angeles, we encountered the