‘Hey!’ I say firmly and loudly. ‘HEY!’ but of course no one hears me.
Feeling disgruntled and about to launch into a mental tirade about the lack of etiquette and concern for others in today’s world, I notice a woman with a toddler in a stroller and a young baby strapped to her in some sort of scarf. A teenage boy in a school uniform is standing next to her with headphones placed firmly on his ears. The woman calls out to the driver to open the back doors and I watch in amazement as the teenage boy pulls his headphones down around his neck and asks if she would like some help. With a grateful smile, and a relieved-sounding ‘Yes please,’ he bends down to take the front of the stroller while the mother holds on to the handles. Together they move the stroller on to the bus with a bemused toddler looking on.
Well that certainly taught me a lesson as I had completely misjudged the poor teenager. Thus, my faith is restored in humanity and the next generation.
When the bus arrives outside the school where my goddaughter works, I take my time walking up the winding path leading to the entrance. She is a high school teacher and takes great pride in transferring her love of biology to her adoring students. I feel a twinge of guilt as I have not seen her in several years and have not kept up my promise to her father, a childhood friend, that I would keep an eye on her after he passed away.
I walk along the hallway, past the rows of lockers and abandoned school bags, past the posters on the walls about student council and the upcoming sports carnival. I peep through glass-paned doors to see students looking to the front of the classroom, vague and distant stares on many faces. The bell rings suddenly and after a second’s pause, doors are flung open and students pour out. The noise is like a huge explosion, and the rush of energy is incredible!
‘WALK DON’T RUN!’ yells a teacher, only for the words to fall on deaf ears. ‘I said WALK!’ Again, students continue on their own path, rudely pushing past some while smiling and laughing with others. High school was not a place I held fond memories of and I am sad to see things have not changed.
The jungle starts to go quiet as the wilderness is lured back into classrooms. As two girls walk past me I hear one ask the other what subject she has now.
‘Biology,’ she answers.
‘Oh you’re so lucky to have Jacinta,’ says the other. It dawns on me then that Jacinta is Mrs Brown, my goddaughter, a certain respect for authority being lost in the familiar way today’s students address their teachers.
I follow the girls until they come to a turn in the hallway and both go their separate ways.
‘See you at lunch!’ says the biology student, and off she goes down the hallway, leading me towards my goddaughter.
When I walk into the science laboratory I notice the chatter is still loud and unruly, but when Jacinta walks in the room, everyone immediately takes their seats, their eager faces looking up at their adored teacher. I take a seat at the back of the class and watch as the lesson starts to unfold. The passion she feels for her subject and her students is clear from the moment the lesson starts and I realise what a difference it can make to a young person’s life when they are fortunate enough to have a teacher who cares. Passion is contagious and everyone has clearly caught it. I watch as Jacinta initially instructs the class and then takes her time to go around and give attention to every student.
‘If you try it is this way, you should have a better view,’ she says to one student, her instructions about the microscope immediately followed. ‘Don’t forget to note down your observations,’ she says to another student. ‘After all, that’s what this experiment is all about!’ the kind but slightly chiding tone being taken with grace.
I remember when Jacinta was a girl and how much she loathed visiting museums and anything remotely scientific. She was all about ponies and show jumping and not the least bit curious about the workings of the world in which she lived. She would shift uncomfortably whenever she was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up and would shyly answer that she just wanted to be with her beloved horses. Her parents never pushed her in any particular direction, but allowed her time to find her own feet, a gamble that has appeared to have paid off.
In her last year at school she had gone on an excursion to see an exhibition at the Natural History Museum about the anatomy of the human body, and her love for biology was born. She was not a natural student, and up until that point had floated fairly aimlessly through her studies, but there was something that she had connected with that day which had introduced her to the inquisitive and scientific mind she didn’t know she possessed.
She had clearly carried this love into her working life and as I look on, I see the way her positive and enthusiastic energy passes on to each student, leaving a mark on them that they would surely carry into adulthood. Teachers play such an important role in developing and grooming our future generations, and it is wonderful when they are able to instill a love of learning in their students.
The class continues and the students remain focused. Hands occasionally rise in the air as another question is asked or another correction is sought. No question is off limits and Jacinta takes the time to give each question the focus and response it deserves.
When the bell rings, there is a slight hesitation and then each student starts to pack up. They have clearly enjoyed their class and aren’t quite ready for it to be over just yet. However, as stomachs start to grumble and the promise of lunch has finally arrived, they all happily gather in a line at the front of the classroom, chatting excitedly while they keep their eyes on their teacher. I have no idea what is about to occur and so am very surprised when Jacinta moves to the door of the classroom and extends her hand to the first student in line.
‘Thank you for your great work today Jonathan,’ she says as she shakes the student’s hand. She makes direct eye contact with him and gives him her full attention as if no-one else is in the room. The student walks out of the room smiling and the next student moves forward.
‘Fantastic concentration today Emma,’ and again hands exchange shakes and faces exchange smiles.
I watch as each student shakes Jacinta’s hand and receives a personal comment before leaving the room and heading off to lunch. Not one compliment is the same, and each student receives the same amount of attention and positive focus, no matter who they are or where they are positioned in the line. It is only after the last student leaves that I notice Jacinta let out a large sigh as her shoulders slump slightly. She has given everything she has and it is such a gift to those students. After a moment, as she moves around the classroom packing away the last few stray items, she starts to hum, and I watch as her step lightens and her energy seems to pick up again. She may give her all to her role as a teacher but it encourages the same in return from the students and I realise too what a blessing the students are for Jacinta.
As my goddaughter walks out of the classroom and down the hall, I follow her. She pushes open a heavy door that displays a sign saying ‘Staff members only’ and she walks into the teachers’ break room. She says hello to her fellow staff members and makes a beeline for an older-looking woman with grey hair and glasses.
‘How are you Mary? Are you feeling better?’ she asks.
‘Oh much, thank you for asking. I used the time to recharge and am now ready to take on those little nightmares this afternoon.’ Jacinta laughs and then says ‘They may be nightmares sometimes, but their hearts are in the right places. I suppose they are not all geared up to be the world’s next best economists but then maybe that is not what the world needs right now.’
‘Humph,’ grunts a fellow teacher, a man in his late forties, with a greying beard and a sour expression on his face. Without lifting his eyes off the paperwork before him he says, ‘What the world needs is some smart brains to outsmart all the robots that are due to take our places very soon.’
‘Now that’s a sceptical comment, isn’t it Richard?’ asks Jacinta smiling, a concealed look of concern in her normally sparkling eyes.
‘Not really,’ says Richard. ‘More of a realistic world view I would say. We give a good part of our lives preparing today’s youth for the world of tomorrow but when the world is so rapidly changing, I am not really sure what we are preparing them for any more.’ He pauses then says, ‘A lot of my students don’t seem so concerned about mathematics anymore, despite how I try to frame it. If I got a dollar for every time a student asked me why they need to learn maths when their phones can calculate faster than they can I’d not to be teaching for a living anymore!’ He laughs at his own joke and continues marking the papers on the table in front of him.
Jacinta looks lost in thought for a moment and then says ‘What the world needs perhaps, is people who are creative and right-brained. Or perhaps people who have mastered the art of being both right and left. While science and maths is extremely important, and particularly for developing a growing brain and allowing for logical thinking, I see more of the so-called soft skills playing an increasingly important role in today’s society. We live in a world governed by fear, wouldn’t you agree?’ she asks. Richard stops marking his papers and looks up at Jacinta with a nod. He looks at her as if asking her to go on, so she continues.
‘Well, fear only creates more fear and leads people to make rash and radical decisions as their egos tell them that they need to protect themselves, and it’s all doom and gloom. Fear blocks thinking and blocks effective action and keeps us held in the past. Think about yourself for a moment. If you are afraid of an outcome are you going to take a step towards it? If your actions are fear-based you will be much less likely to take what your ego perceives as a risk, and much more likely to use your fear about the future outcome as the excuse your brain is looking for to not take the action.’ Jacinta takes a deep breath and continues.
‘Look at politics at the moment. It’s a scary situation with voters being led by fear-mongers who are feeding off the negative energy that is growing every day. We are hearing about our children’s future being very bleak indeed; limited jobs, the world run by machines, lack of resources and constant fighting for survival. This is all totally fear-based and not fact-based. Yes we have stuffed up the environment, and yes we need to atone for our sins. We are facing crises in the world like we have never seen before and our egos are having a field day! Our brains are wired for a negative bias and so we tend to focus on the negative in every situation instead of the positive.
‘We need creative thinkers, big-picture thinkers to help move us towards a future that is positive. Sure, future generations will live a very different life to the one we live today, but it will take the creative thinkers to lead us to a better future, one where a lot of the roles we know today have been made redundant but where new ones have been created. Sure, machines have already taken over a lot of the jobs that our parents and grandparents used to do, but our children will be working in areas that are only just starting to be created now.’ She takes another deep breath, pulls out a chair and sits down.
‘Can’t you see how important it is to fill our kids with hopes and dreams for the future?’ she asks.
Richard looks at her for a moment, and then says ‘OK, Jacinta, I see your point. But I would much rather be prepared for reality than for a future straight out of fairytales!’ he guffaws and looks around the room for support. Mouths are silent, and eyes are now fixed on Jacinta, to see what she will say next.
She continues. ‘I think that creativity is the skill of the future. While I also support maths and the sciences, I think that people who are able to tap into their intuition and instinctive insights will be much better problem solvers and therefore much better leaders. Those who are emotionally intelligent, who are aware of the emotional as well as physical needs of others, and those who are able to connect with others on a personal level, are what this world needs. And this kind of skill set can never be threatened by artificial intelligence.’
Richard remains silent so Jacinta continues. ‘What about the people who are sensitive to others? What about the helpers? What about those who have the ability to connect with those around them? That is certainly something we have lost in this world and we know how much good that’s done. In a world of machines we need the human touch.’
Richard thinks for a moment before starting to speak again. ‘We need people who know how to create and program the machines in order to control them and keep them supporting us rather than the other way around. Machines don’t need hugs, they don’t need understanding, so why develop those skills? They are called soft skills for a reason!’
‘Oh Richard, we have the people who are capable of what you say. We always will. But people are starting to wake up to a different way of life, a different reason for being here. Life is not, should not, be just about survival. Life is about thriving and loving and experiencing joy and remembering who we are. There is a popular school of thought that says that we are here on earth to remember what we know in the afterlife, what we knew before our birth. That we are here to awaken our consciousness and to thus create a better world. We choose our parents based on the lessons we need to learn as they are the ones who initially guide us in the world, either well through love and concern and attention, or badly through neglect, but each caregiver has been chosen with care by our souls to enable us to advance in this life, to help us learn what we need to in order to awaken and remember who we truly are.’ I feel a sense of frustration in Jacinta as she pauses for a moment.
Richard jumps into the silence. ‘Ok, now you’ve lost me. Don’t turn all New Age on me. I liked you up until about three minutes ago!’ Richard laughs out loud again, all the while looking slightly disturbed.
‘So why do you think we are here Richard?’ Jacinta asks, finally starting to lose her patience with him.
‘I think we are here because of pure luck, pure coincidence. The Big Bang and all that. Come on, you’re the scientist, you know this!!’ Richard waves an exasperated hand in Jacinta’s direction.
‘What I do know Richard is that there are things we can’t explain in this world. Not yet anyway, and perhaps never. But Quantum Physics is making huge advancements towards uncovering elements of life that we used to call New Age and that we will soon be able to call fact. It’s all a question of energy. That is proven. Everything is energy and we have discovered that energy can be exchanged between humans, between humans and animals and even between humans and plants.’
‘Plants! Jacinta, are you drunk?’ he laughs again, but this time only half-heartedly. She is starting to get through to him but his belief system won’t let him change his view, not yet. Jacinta smiles a tired smile and continues.
‘Science proves that we are able to heal our bodies by raising our vibrational energy and by visualising the outcome. Quantum physicists are discovering more and more things that the mystics have known for centuries. Einstein was a huge advocate of imagination and the effect it has on our own life. He made many discoveries about energy and the effect it has on our environment. His work on energy transfer has been taken over by other scientists since, and we are making real headway. He strongly believed that what we imagine now creates our future. Thoughts are energy and as like attracts like, positive thoughts attract positive events, and negativity attracts only more negativity.’
‘Fine,’ Richard intercepts. ‘But a lot of that is all talk and no action, right?! Where’s the everyday proof?’ he demands.
Jacinta rises to the challenge. ‘A simple yet powerful example is the experiment I ran recently with my tenth graders. You would know about this if you had bothered to show up to our presentation. But anyway… I placed two plants in the classroom, both identical plants, and the same size and age. Every time my students came into the classroom they knew to speak to one with loving and kind words, to tell the plant it was loved, it was wanted, that they enjoyed having it in their classroom, and to encourage it to grow. I also taught the children how to project positive feelings on to the plant, to sit in front of it, close their eyes an
d think about a lovely warm and positive energy leaving their bodies and going into the plant.
‘The other plant received the opposite treatment, and was told it was ugly, that it was hated, that the students wished it wasn’t alive, that it wasn’t wanted in the classroom. They would throw hateful and angry words at it and then walk away, not giving it any more attention.
‘We also had a control plant that wasn’t spoken to at all. It was watered and looked after in a completely normal way. It only had the elements needed for normal growth; light, water and shelter, but nothing else.
‘And guess what happened Richard? The plant that received the positive energy far outgrew the one that was mistreated. It grew taller faster, it was healthier, it was greener than either the badly treated plant or the control plant.’ Jacinta takes a breath and leans back in her chair.
‘But Jacinta, again as a science teacher you know that your results are not statistically significant if you only have a few plants!’ Richard exclaims.
‘I know that, but this experiment was not my idea. It has been replicated on a large scale, with enough plants to make the results reliable. And the results were the same as in our classroom experiment! The transfer of energy is real, Richard! If we do this to plants with just our words and our energy, imagine what we are doing to each other! And the frustrating thing is that it is so easy to fix but no-one seems to see this yet! We reversed the experiment for the badly treated plant and started to praise it and to tell it we loved it and to project positive thoughts and energy on to it, and it started to thrive! We kept watering it at the same level, we didn’t give it any extra fertiliser or a different position in the classroom with more sunlight. All we did was change the way we treated it and look what happened!
A Lifetime of Goodbyes Page 7
