When I was 5, I realised there was tension between my parents. I noticed the fights and raised voices and then I began to witness physical altercations. These were the imprints on my mind while growing up.
My parents stopped talking and I realised that my home was not normal. My dad was unapproachable and he took his anger out on us. Things grew from bad to worse when our finances took a nosedive.
I became reserved, introspective and withdrawn. When everything was going on, I withdrew into myself. I processed everything internally. Yes I had my brothers, but we spoke in hushed tones at home, especially when my dad was around.
A good outcome was I became very studious. My escape from everything going on around me was books. I read everything & anything and I learned spiritual discipline.
My life was a classic case of “all things working together for good”. All the bad stuff came together like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle to create good.