“Truth is one forever absolute, but opinion is truth filtered through the moods, the blood, the disposition of the spectator.” by Wendell Phillips.
I often don’t dole out my opinions as a result of the quote, ‘Opinions are like ass-holes, everyone has them!’ ...while I am NOT a fan of that quote, it serves its purpose and typically if no one really cares to hear my opinion enough to ask, I don’t by and large serve it. So to share these things I think is an opportunity for individuals to either agree, disagree, or sustain; take your pick~
1.) In light of the recent tragedy of the student, Tyler Clementi at Rutgers University who committed suicide as a result of the ignorance and intolerance of others the issue of acceptance has been uppermost on my mind and in my heart. We’ve come a long way in today’s society accepting people for their differences be it through sexuality, disability, race, religion, etc…but this incident reminds us we have extensive work to do. Countless of effective examples of bullying and abuse of people exist merely for the way God made them. The Lord made us ALL to be diverse and to lay forth our unique gifts unto the world however WE as humans exercise our freewill and decide to share them. May Tyler Clementi rest in peace and may the next ‘Tyler’ any of us encounter be greeted with acceptance and compassion because they are first and foremost, a human being created to be ‘different.’
2.) Nowadays, having a job is almost as stressful as not having a job. Extensive demands and added expectations are placed on individuals having positions to make up for the reduction of staff…specifically teachers. I’ve had front row seats AND played in this game! When I first began teaching twenty-nine years ago, it was fun to go to work every day and interact with kids, be a witness to their success in learning, to share in their lives. That notion rapidly deteriorated about five years ago; I as well as most of my colleagues will tell you teaching is not fun anymore. Not that we expect it to be because I don’t know that any of us went into the profession thinking it would be easy, but a teacher’s spirit today is being squelched and murdered by the rigors of testing, inundated with paperwork, and void of financial and emotional resources on a day by day basis.
3.) Recovery is a long process…and I still haven’t fully recovered from my traumatic occurrence with my co-worker. While I have made in-roads my trust and faith in others is low and my skepticism in their actions and words is high. I quickly and readily retreat from the outside world faster than a flash and my desires to act in response to people are extremely hesitant and slow. Dan Fogelberg, one of my all-time favorite artists has a song titled, Heart Hotels and the lyrics progress as follows: Well there's too many windows in this old hotel, and rooms filled with reckless pride. And the walls have grown sturdy and the halls have worn well, but there is nobody living inside. Gonna pull in the shutters on this heart of mine, roll up the carpets and pull in the blinds and retreat to the chambers that I left behind in hopes there still may be love left to find….
Well, there IS someone living inside, just treading a tad more tentatively through this thing called life.
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