values

i was inspired by a friend to think of this, and i hope i can articulate it well, as the ideas are still fresh. the friend of mine and i got into a conversation, we were talking about roots and values. it was a very reflective conversation from a very fundamentalist type of person. these are the people from whom i learn best.

now when im talking about values, im not talking about "gimme fair price!". im inching more towards morals and principles. a persons values and a persons roots are significantly intertwined. values are learned through a persons upbringing, and could be impossible to teach as a teacher. but as a person, they might be able to be taught with a little more ease. I can remember certain people in my life and certain instances that have shaped my values. these people are significant offshoots in my roots. they are professors, family members, friends, teachers, and probably most importantly parents. they didnt teach me things like "dont steal, be a nice person" in a direct way. but i learned from them through my experiences with them. there are certain people who stand out in my life as fundamental people, and these fundamentalists have shaped who i am today, and where im going tomorow.

back to the friend of mine with whom i was having the conversation. he's doing some very interesting work with unfortunate children. kids who have had no dads, no moms, no professors, no teachers. they've been raised on the streets and have fell through the cracks of our great social system. these are the kids who have been raised on motor oil. the struggle for my friend is going to be trying to teach these kids values. these kids dont want to be anywhere, so why are they going to listen to him? i think the key to his success will be allowing for his own values to shine through to the kid. as i said, he is a fundamentalist. he has some rock solid values. he's got to show the kid why he's taking the time to help out an unfortunate kid. he has to let the kid know why he wants to change the world. he's got to let the kid know about caring. he's got to help the kid learn about wanting to be somewhere.

this is one of the reasons i also want to be a teacher. if i can change someones life, i've done my job. i've done justice to those professors, family members, friends, and parents. if i can help just one kid. and to my friend, you have all my praise, and you have all my support. let your soul shine through and you'll succeed.

i'll finish off with a couple relevant lines from the arcade fire:

the song is called kettles

" They say a watched pot won't ever boil,
you can't raise a baby on motor oil,
just like a seed down in the soil
you gotta give it time"

let me know what you guys think!