By any means necessary

Suppose there is something you really truly want. You want it more than anything else, more than anybody else. How would you go about getting it?

 

Maybe it just falls into your hands.

It was yours for the taking. You have a natural talent for it. You were in the right place at the right time.

But how often is there no competition, no struggle, no misfortunes in your way?

Not very likely. If you can get it so easily, chances are, you did not want it that badly to begin with.

 

Maybe you try real hard on your own.

You study. You train. You put your absolute best effort into it.

But then you find out there are so many others trying just as hard as you… how much more, or how much longer do you keep trying to outdo them?

You always have the choice of giving it up. If you cannot keep pushing yourself, as much sour grape as it sounds, you probably grow to believe you did not want it that badly over time.

 

Maybe you turn to others who can help you.

You ask for advice. You ask for a word in for you. You ask for favours.

But where do you find these people, and will they respond to you?

Nothing is for free. If you cannot give back anything in return, you could finally admit to yourself that it was not meant for you and there are other things you can want just as badly.

 

Maybe you decide to go grab it, by any means necessary.

You sacrifice your health, physical or mental. You sacrifice your future. You sacrifice others’ future.

But are all means really necessary, and is it really worth losing all these things?

You will be held accountable for your actions, sooner or later. If you cannot live with the agony, the torment, the fingers pointing at you, you did not think things through enough to find out that what you wanted so badly was, well, a bad thing to want in the end.

 

What will keep you from choosing the last “maybe”?

Teach rights and wrongs. Express norms and values. Show punishments and penalties.

But I do not think that is sufficient. Knowing as information is not enough. Learning through experience (mock to be much preferred over real) must come with it. Over and over again. Over time.

 

Now, if only more educators of my country would provide the young minds with such experience… I suppose it could not be soon enough.