The Power of Testimony

SAVING MY ASSASSIN
When I heard this pronouncement, my stomach turned
and my brain froze. While this decision that held my future
captive frightened me, it made me all the more determined
to go to law school. I suppose none of us know how high we
can jump until a skyscraper obstructs our way, how fast we
can run until a lion chases us, the value of our freedom until
confinement restricts our movements, or how precious hope
is until someone shatters our dreams.
Even though I never accepted that future as my own,
I decided to keep my mouth shut, avoid conflict with the
family, do all my chores, and unwaveringly pursue every
opportunity to study for my baccalaureate and law school
exams.
Methodically, as soon as I finished all my chores, I locked
myself in an unused room in the house and studied until past
midnight. When the time came, I filed for approval of my
political file to pave my way into law school.
Under the Communist system, students had to pass two
levels of admission to get into law school. In the first level,
my political file had to pass inspection. An approved file
verified three things:
1. The applicant and his or her parents had never
expressed a critical attitude toward Communism.
2. The applicant’s parents had never been questioned
or arrested by the Communist government.
3. The applicant’s parents were not Christians.
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