The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times

Obama recalls how her father, Fraser, experienced a decline in health because he had multiple sclerosis. With his body weakening from the illness, Fraser relied on a cane for mobility. Obama notes that she, her brother Craig, and their mother didn’t want to dwell on how her father’s health was declining or how it would affect their family. Obama remembers that her father never complained about his chronic pain or disability, and she wonders if that was “simply the code he chose to live by” (5). In hindsight, she feels that her father’s illness helped her understand what it’s like to be different from others. She realizes that his illness affected all of the family’s decisions, even errands and outings. As it progressed, his family continued to find better aids such as crutches, motor carts, and a van. Obama compares these tools, which her father didn’t particularly like but helped him function, with the psychological tools people rely on to overcome challenges and steady themselves in life. She connects these tools with how people who are different face a “task of overcoming” and a world “loaded with obstacles” (7). Obama claims that when people are different, they’re often socialized to be more cautious, but, ironically, they must actually be bold to overcome the challenges in their way.