My Cousin from the Post-80s Generation

My older cousin, born in the 1980s, spent his whole life hoping to make something of himself and bring honor to the family, but he suffered setback after setback in his business ventures. He was handsome and a good person, yet remained alone in middle age. He never accepted an ordinary life, but his life was ordinary all the same. He worked hard to have no regrets, yet always had some... “We don’t persevere because we have hope. We have hope because we persevere.” Those are the words he left me.