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

 

 

 


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