Tuesday, November 18, 2008

A Shocking Revelation




It was a happy sunny day. I had the wonderful opportunity to speak among the brightest kids of affluent parents in one of the best schools of the country today. My talk may not be eloquently delivered, but somehow stirred kid's interest. How amazed I was when the boys urgently lined up, then asked questions eagerly. Flashbacks filled my thoughts-were we assertive like them when we were in grade school? How I wished I was brought up as outgoing and well-rounded like them and studied in a prestigious school like that...I guess confidence and self-esteem can also be achieved if you have everything at your convenience. Otherwise, get confidence in excelling in any field you love, or mature with experience to boost self esteem.

One thing that surprised me most from this experience was this revealing info. I learned that these wealthy parents don't bother letting their very fortunate kids experience or teach them live a simple life in spite of all their conveniences, based on a survey. Part of the reasons were, living on tight and tough times is the least they would want and experience for their children. Or parents would not allow that to happen to them at all, at any cost. They don't usually experience that at home so why should they spend time and energy for that anyway, according to a teacher I chatted with. As if the world is not round, I felt sad to know another inconvenient truth.

On that regard, I am very glad that the school is looking for ways to still educate them on these issues by integrating lessons and immersion programs. After all, we are staying together in a dominantly nourishment-hungry, third-world country anyway.

I'm about to go home when there was this boy who interestedly got a copy of my latest book and he was holding another book. Curiously I asked how much was the other book and he said it was around 300 pesos. I surprisingly thought, wow, how generous his allowance must be! Then while having some chat along the service area of the school, out of the blue, out of nowhere, another kid blurted out his 'I can't remember' story to our group.

It was a funny experience.



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