Where do you draw the line?

In my line of duty, one of the 'unspoken' responsibilities is to 'save as many lives' as possible. Nope, we are not as noble as doctors, nor heroic as the firefighters and the policemen...but whenever we come across a 'lost soul', we do try as much as possible to put the person back on track.

But where do you draw the line?
When do you realise that no matter what you do, there are among those, who
a) take advantage 'second chances' too many times and abuse your trust and belief
b) simply can't be bothered to be saved
c) are so 'lost' beyond the point of redemption?

I don't know how to give an answer based on facts.  This is human nature...not some number game, or something that can be explained rationally or logically.
When I feel uncomfortable, and when I know the vibes and auras are not right...then I listen to my gut feeling.

Sadly...some people...there is just no point helping.
What a waste!

Disengagment - a matter of choice

Today, I was nearly jumping up and down in frustration over a child who apparently shows no interest in his work at all. You see, most of the time, if I scold the students, some will either show me a sulky response, or some form of mortification. But with this one - blase, nonchalance and absolutely-I-don't-give-a-damn demeanour irks me to no end. It is insolence at its utmost -

I have tried the soft approach - it did not work. I tried the hard approach. It still does not work. Words have the same effect on him as water has on a duck's back.  Nothing gets to him.
So now what?
The best description for this child is 'disengaged' - he is totally not connected to anyone nor anything.
It seems as though he lives in a world of his own creation- cut off from the rest of the world.  To him, whatever goes around him that is not synchronised with his own agenda, is something of an inconvenience to his life.  He is tactless to the point of being selfishly heartless. And what is worse, he does not even care that no one in the class likes him, or even bother about him.

How does a child ever reach to a point like that?
I have always believed that everyone has a redeeming quality...but so far...sigh
I end up huffing and puffing till I turn blue!

He doesn't care, or is it that he does not know how to?
He does not feel, or is he afraid to feel?
He is not connected, or has someone rejected him in the past to make him this way?

I don't know.
But he has chosen....not to care, or feel, or think.
And this is so sad.

Flexibility & Change

I will now try shorter entries so that I can find the time to continue writing on a more regular basis.
This morning, I came across this quote

"Inflexibility is one of the worst human failings.
You can learn to check impetuosity,
overcome fear with confidence,
and laziness with discipline.
But for rigidity of mind, there is no antidote.
It carries the seeds of its own destruction." - Anonymous

Well, it is not that dramatic...there are many other human vices I can think of. But indeed, if we fear change, and refuse to change our mindsets - all in the name of being true to our values and beliefs - then I feel that we are missing out.  You can have the 'unnegotiable things in life'...but you need to have an open mind. You need to understand the bigger picture of things, and not be stubbornly resistant that you refuse to see things from another person's perspective.

One last reminder - "Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape" - Michael McGriff
You accept, you adapt, you understand and become better.

Deep Speak - Self Reflections

Today, as I cleared my drawers in school, I came across a box of cards.
The title of these cards is "Deep Speak", and basically, the set consists of 120 questions on beautifully designed cards, which are meant for deep thinking.

"Some questions are hard to answer
Some questions take us by surprise
Some questions haunt us for years
Some questions make us laugh
Some questions challenge our values
...and our picture of who we are..."

This is what is written on the cover of this box.
I had used this questions when I taught literature last year, and needed to draw my shy, seemingly unresponsive kids from their shells.

I have picked out one for self-reflection of my own.
This question reads, "What do you think is the hardest thing for young people today/"
Lets see...
I feel that while the younger generation are born in an era where life has been made much easier by all the technological advances, it has ironically made their lives less 'meaningful'.  They have access to fast information; can travel conveniently around the globe; and have most of their jobs less physically tiring by modern machines.

But has the 'easy' life made the young too comfortable? Do they assume that they can always get things the fast and simple way; and that eventually, money will be the way to cure all the evils of the world they perceive?

How will they learn to be more resilient and less dependent?
Will they be able to think on their feet?
Can they retain values like compassion, empathy, care and kindness?

Young people today are lucky since they do not really have to 'suffer' much...and yet, I worry that without that necessary hardship; many will take things for granted.  They may be more self-centred, and inward looking; and put their own needs first before the greater good of mankind.

I may be wrong..I am sure that there are still plenty of decent, well-grounded young individuals out there.
But just a gentle reminder here...
Life is not just the pursuit of material and physical gains.
Happiness, love and good health are still key to the human existence....Do not forget that