Truth is what everyone seeks in his world. Without it, everything will end in chaos and disaster. “All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered, the point is to discover them” was a quote by the famous physician, Galileo Galilei. I was an adopted child who grew up with two foster parents. However, despite having a golden childhood, the relationship I had with my foster parents began to ebb away when I found out I was adopted at the age of 16. A close family member of my birth parents told me my true lineage when I was on a vacation overseas in Malibu.

The downfall of it all was because I am Muslim women. And according to the religion Islam, a girl must cover all parts of her body except the face and her hands towards men who are apart of your family. Therefore, growing up in this situation, where I have worn hijab since I was in 6th grade made the lie become and expand like a fire made so much bigger. It made the days I spent at home with my foster dad become awkward and I began to look down on him since he was a Muslim, it was the basis rule of the religion not to lie. Growing up knowing this as a kid, made me go through a depressing stage in high school where every time my parents would attend the school meeting, I would get anxiety attacks and feel like my world was crashing down when I had to go through this lie all by myself.

There were also times when I felt my self-worth shatter into a million pieces. The time was when my foster father, grandfather and uncle would look at my hair or any part of my body that was supposed to be covered. My respect towards them also ebbed away when I was wearing a hoodie and long pants to indicate I knew I was adopted but they all began denying it and they also labelled me as crazy and being too imaginative. Being in the modern society of today, “Never give up”, is a golden principle everyone strives to achieve. Therefore, by applying this principle towards my daily life, I overcame my depression by surrounding myself with people I can trust like my friends.

I realized even if a close member of my birth parents didn’t tell me I was adopted, I would suffer depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses even much worse as a growing teenager. The truth is, as a child you will always know who your real parents are, and growing up as a child I always knew in my heart that they weren’t my birth parents. Just by one act of kindness and compassion by telling me I was adopted and ending the lie I was living in was a goal and a principle I needed in my life to survive the trials and obstacles I face in life like the quote always says “Every mountain is within reach if you just keep climbing”.

The conclusion that I would like to share about my story is, it is better to tell the truth and make someone cry than telling a lie and making someone smile. May the quote by “the truth may hurt sometimes for a moment, but the pain you experience from a lie can last forever” always remind us of the importance of being truthful on a daily basis.