This world does not leave much room for those of us who just want to write for fun and frivolity. It seems as though no matter what nonsense goes through my mind, it never measures up to the current state of our earthly vessel, and so I need to address something more important. Maybe "address" is not the right word. I mean, political pundits "address" what's happening in the US and the world. They look at it, analyze it, find fault and attempt to weave their ideas together to help you and me feel we know what is happening. And I am more than happy to step back while they do their job and instead write about my dog and classroom antics. But here is the thing...when events or general disregard for fellow humans occur that eat away at me, that is life telling me it is time to pay attention and get to work. This is not about any one event, but just how things seem to be right now. Here is what my mind can't let go:
Misbehavior is misbehavior. Poor choices are poor choices. Deplorable is deplorable.
There is no explanation necessary. There is no excuse possible.
But Having Purpose Saves Lives.
When I began my teaching career, I worked for a little private school in Basking Ridge New Jersey called The Lord Stirling School. That was in 1993. Yesterday I looked it up. It is still there today and still boasting success working with students who fill their admissions application with a laundry list of indiscretions that have made attending traditional school no longer a viable option. My role in the school was to be the academic teacher to students enrolled in the automotive track in hopes to learn a trade that would help them succeed and survive beyond their high school years. I loved that job! And when I look back at it now, I have the clear 20/20 hindsight that folks like to conjure up when regarding something of the past. We were teachers. We were teaching young men who already owned a long list of police records, assaults, thievery, gang affiliations and general lack of regard for humanity. In 1993 I believed I could help them learn to find their way and succeed even while they could not imagine their life lasting longer than 22 years. I visited homes in cities such as Camden, Trenton and Irvington to name a few. I sat with mothers, and more often grandmothers, who did not know what to do to help the child they were expected to magically turn into a caring adult.
So here is what I learned then that I can now apply to the events that seem to be happening in our world more frequently and with increased fervor. These young men I cared deeply about were not created overnight to believe thievery, assault and pushing drugs was the best avenue for their lives. As we sat playing chess, they told me of life in prison, of spitting on their dinner to ensure no one else would steal it, of random cavity "checks" by security and of family members who had given up on them. They were describing emptiness and vacancy. They were living life without purpose and as such, were willing, more than anyone I ever met since, to follow where ever they could be led in order to feel accepted and meaningful.
I'm not making any political or societal assumptions here, or pointing any fingers. In fact, I am not even thinking of anything in particular as I write this, but rather a general funk that has taken residence in our world. People are sad. People are mislead. People lack purpose. People are desperate. People are empty. People are people. Period. But, say what you want about my naiveite, I chose back then in 1993, and I choose now, to believe that most people are good. Mislead, desperate, righteous, immature...perhaps...but good. "Every child deserves a champion." says Rita Pierson. That's true and you know it. It's not naïve to believe that's what it takes to make a difference. It's not pie in the sky to think teaching people to realize their purpose helps save lives. It's true. And that means we have work to do. If having purpose saves lives, who do you know who needs your help in creating a map to their purpose, their meaning, their vision for future? The littlest gesture can make all the difference in this world.
