"Breathe" from In the Heights by Lin Manuel Miranda

I can resonate with the song Breathe from In the Heights. Growing up Asian, success was one thing I was always taught. My family would not directly call you a failure if you didn't succeed, but deep down you would know--you would have this weird feeling, almost like guilt but not exactly. The pressure of success was always lingering throughout my years of high school. With an older sister who did great in school and got into many colleges and universities, it only made me feel more pressured to be successful--to be like her. In a way, seeing her be praised as the golden child and being known as "the smart one" only discouraged me. I thought well, we have a successful one already, why need two? and I started to slack off in school. This is something I never spoke to anyone about because truthfully, it never really made sense, even to me. Shouldn't the constant comparisons make you want to be better? My sister was supposed to be my role model, and I was expected to live up to those standards. My mother would confront me about my grades, but she only told me to do better. It made me feel immense guilt because even though she wouldn't lash out on me, I could sense her disappointment.

Thinking back to my sister and I's high school experiences, it makes me feel a bit selfish. Because although I felt the pressure of becoming someone who was as smart as her, she must've felt pressured to become that role model. Truthfully, I think she can resonate with Breathe way more than it resonates with me. 

CONNECTION: It's not rare for someone to resonate with this song. I scrolled through the comments under this song for just a few minutes and found so many people who can relate.