HOW'RE THE KIDS IN THIS TOWN?

 




“Trying to change people, and their views,

is like throwing paper into a fire.”

Anthony Liccione

 


“Sir, why are these kids so out of focus?” A dear friend of mine, who teaches young college kids, messaged me, last night.

I knew, that my friend was frustrated and had lost her cool with some of her students. As a teacher myself, I could sense this pain immediately and assured her that I would be calling her in an hour.

By the time I called my friend, she had regained her composure. She described to me about the confrontation she had just had with a girl student. My friend was upset about the lack of respect and remorse in this young girl… The casual attitude towards studies had annoyed my friend and the girl was defending this attitude and, to the contrary,  blaming the teacher. My friend, who is a passionate teacher and an idealist, was feeling let down and hurt… “What’s wrong with these kids? Why are they so out of focus, Sir?”… She was asking me.  

All that I could do to my friend, last night, was to empathize with her. I have been a teacher for over four decades… This kind of frustration and feeling of let-down is an all-familiar experience to me. A day doesn’t pass without having to go through this experience… Just as my friend asked in pain, “What’s wrong with these kids? Why are they so out of focus?” – yes, I, too, ask… often, to an empty room, and, sometimes, to a friendly ear.

Is something wrong with today’s kids, and are they so out of focus?

There is an old story that comes to my mind…

 

HOW’RE THE PEOPLE IN THIS TOWN?




A traveler, on entering a new town, asked a resident of that town, “How’re the people in this town?”.

The resident said, “How’re the people in the town you have come from?”

“Horrible! Nasty, Selfish and jealous,”  the traveller reacted.

My friend, the people of this town are same.

The traveller thanked the person and decided not to travel through this new town.

Meanwhile, another traveller, who was planning to enter this town, met the same resident and asked the same question, “How’re the people in this town?”

The same reply awaited… “How’re the people in the town you have come from?”

“Amazing! Loving, kind and helpful, ” responded the traveller.

“My friend, the people in this town are same.

The traveller thanked the resident and decided to travel through the new town.

“Wherever we go, we carry ourselves”… This is a meaningful piece of Zen philosophy…

My friend and I have been teachers for decades… We have travelled through many, many towns – read, many, many kinds of students. Every time we encounter a new kind, we tend to ask the same question, “How’re the kids in this town?”

And, we do end up comforting ourselves, with the same wise advice, that there is nothing wrong with the ‘new towns’ and ‘new people’… We just need to carry with us a ‘new mind’…





Hope my friend had a good sleep, last night!

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic's: pixabay

 

Video: Gaur Gopal Das

 

 

 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MUTHU KODI KAWARI HADA

Image
Pic.; Ashwin Mohta M y Hindi was always bad. It still is. One reason for this was, that they introduced Hindi for us only in 6 th standard. Or, was it in 8 th ? I don’t remember… I only remember struggling to write and read… leave alone speak! But, I loved Hindi movies, and, strangely, I could understand the dialogues and the lyrics of the songs… I used to sing those songs (of course when no one was around me!) as if I was the lyricist… One of the songs was a very funny one. ‘Muthu Kodi Kawari Hada’. It was from Mehmood’s super-hit comedy – ‘Do Phool’. I was a 15-year-old high-school boy when I had heard that song (not watched the movie). I could grasp the meaning of two words – ‘Muthu Kodi’… which meant ‘Give kiss’… But, what ‘Kawari Hada’ meant, I have no clue till date! It was just like ‘Why this kolaveri di’... Yes, why ask? Simply enjoy the beats… And, the beats are great… The rest... Who cares? Really! So, whatever bit of Hi
Read more

"HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS NOT A FAIRY-TALE... IT IS A CHOICE"

Image
“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone… It has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.” – Ursula K. Le Guin,  The Lathe of Heaven T welve years ago, when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got married, the world began to hail the couple as ‘Brangelina’. It became a fashion for couples around us to call themselves so… Norbert and Teresa renamed them as ‘Noresa’…  Amol and Vishaka baptized their relationship as ‘Amoshka’… and, Salman and Nargis became ‘Salgis’! I and my wife, too, got tempted to re-christian our matrimonial relationship as ‘Germa’... That is, Gerald and Anima, to be precise! B efore I proceed any further, let me make it very clear, here… that, I have no business to judge on the break-up of Brad Pitt and Angelina’ Jolie’s marriage. I have no inclination to go into why, how, what when etc behind it… The couple ‘chose’ to split. And, it’s their choice… Only they know how good or bad… how joyful or painful that
Read more

SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

Image
“I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty. I laugh when I hear that people go on pilgrimage to find God.” - Kabir T here is a universal human weakness – and it dates back to the days of fallen civilizations – and it is: to place people on pedestal and trying to be smothered by them, feel loved and protected in their company… worship them as mentors, heroes,  gurus, Mahagurus and Satgurus… Make these mortals larger-than-life cut-outs, worship them as flawless, pure and give one’s all… And, then, ‘take’ everything from them blindly as divine… Give everything to them blindly… Eventually, what happens is:  one more dangerous bondage… What was supposed to free you now becomes a new prison… It’s sad to see this happen! T his room, where I am writing this Post, has no image of any deity. I have no image of any Guru or Master around me… My question is: “Am I not able to feel close to Almighty God?  How does it matter
Read more
THE WILD, WAYSIDE FLOWERS
There is, always, something extra-ordinary in the wild, wayside flowers...