"Unemployed"

In Kenyon MacDonald's personal essay “Unemployed,” (2016),he claims that people should appreciate the things in life more, because it’s never guaranteed and can always be lost. The author develops and supports his thesis by recalling an experience  he had when he was younger. MacDonald wrote this essay in order to inform people that once things are gone, they’re gone, so it’s best to learn to appreciate things while you still can. The intended audience of the essay is people who may not appreciate the things they have in life enough.

The message behind the story is relatable to not only me but also everyone else. The message is nothing is guaranteed in the world, so appreciate what you have before it’s gone. Kenyon didn’t appreciate his job while he had it. He was devastated when he got fired. The “job” can refer to anything you have in life. Whether it’s a person or a career that you’re taking advantage of. I lost someone that was very close to me to cancer. It taught me to appreciate everyone in my life because once it's gone, it’s gone. I enjoy reading this because the underlying message stood out to me a lot. Nothing is guaranteed so just live life to the fullest everyday.

The purpose of this personal essay was to show portray the fact that a lot of people take their opportunities for granted. It is a fact that a lot of younger individuals end up not appreciating what they have, usually because they don’t know what it is like to lose something until they lose it themselves. “I took for granted that my job would always be there.” (MacDonald, 143) Many people go through life with the mindset that it won’t happen to them, whatever it is. But this mindset gets a lot of people in trouble because in the end, they aren’t prepared for what ends up taking place. The things that we acquire don’t usually last a lifetime, so it is always good to appreciate it while we have it because we can never know if or when it will leave us for good. “Nothing is guaranteed in this world; start appreciating the things you have because once it is  gone, it is gone.”(MacDonald, 143)