3 Important Things

Three Big Things I have said over the years that define who I am and how I feel about people, especially kids, and the world in general:

1) Science is “Best Guess” –

I have maintained through my teaching years that Science with all its “Facts” is still just best guess. Let’s face it, was it not science who said:
-The world is flat
-Man will never fly
-It is not possible for a human to run faster than the 3 minute mile
All of these were proved false by current science. Now, the thing I see is that Science is, again, putting limits on our “being”. Doctors, surgeons, and other specialists are continually telling us what we cannot do: we cannot heal ourselves, you have to…(finish it yourself).

The fact is humans have been doing for centuries all those things that science has said “no” to. Their usual answer to this is that something is happening that we aren’t being told. I agree with that. But, mostly, I think it is because they won’t listen very well. I think one of the scariest things a doctor or surgeon can tell a patient is how long he/she has to live. People! They don’t know! There is no way for them to know!

People are walking around who “should not be” by their standards. When I was in the emergency area during my stroke, one of the doctors (a specialist) came and told my mom to get ready for a funeral, he is gone. I stopped seeing him as soon as I could!

Perhaps, we can’t do EVERYTHING! But we don’t have to be able to. One of my very favorite movies of all time is “Matrix Reloaded”. In the first movie it was said”
Morpheus: You have to let it all go, Neo. Fear, doubt, and disbelief. Free your mind.

Certainly, and that is all I truly want people to do. Let go of fear; let go of doubt; let go of disbelief. I just want them to understand that the human mind is limitless. That’s what I tried to teach my students and that is something I will say to anyone.

2) You matter; you are worthwhile; you are special –

(If you can’t be you, then you won’t be at all)
You are special. I told this to my 2 children every day for about the first five years of their lives. I told them so they would know it inside and out; I told them so that they would believe it without a doubt. While I am certain that they have had doubts at times, I am also certain by where they are in life and how they face it that they know they are special.

That feels good and if I can teach my students or anyone else that, too, wonderful. I believe it. It’s why I am here and it’s why God and I have such a wonderful relationship, because I know I am special.

3) I trust you

I spent a lot of time in school just letting my students know that I trust them. There may have been things I would not do, things I might not have trusted them to, but I told them up front and I was very honest with them. They knew that and they knew that meant I respected them. We respected each other.

There were times I respected them and they did not respect me. I told them about that, too.

Bottom line was: they knew how I felt and knew that I kept my word. To my knowledge, I have never told something that they asked me not to tell. I told them up front that there were certain things that, if they told me, I would have to say, and I imagine those things they may not have told me. But, we shared conversations and we shared thoughts and ideas because we were on the same ground.

I listened to them. Once they figured out that I really was listening, they would slowly begin to learn. They would begin to try to not worry if they failed, because I told them they couldn’t fail as long as they continued trying.

I believe in People

Bottom line is that I still believe all those things about people. I still love people and I love talking and sharing with those who understand that. People take chances when they trust you. We open up and say things or do things we might not, otherwise, do. It’s important. It allows us to be free.

And, someone who is free cannot really fail; they are just trying something else out. It all works out in the end; we just have to wait for it and keep trying.

Namaste,
Scott