Reflections...

So I'm cleaning up my room at the moment which has taken most of my uni holidays, my room is utterly trashed .... it depresses me even. However while cleaning I found a poem that a mate wrote and gave to me last year while I was running a behaviour management group at a primary school. A profound yet encouraging poem for me when working with some pretty draining young people. Please note the below poem is copyright to Samuel Chan, if you are wishing to replicate it please contact me first so i can ask Sam!

How are we to respond?
The world responds by
not believing them
squashing them
disrespecting them
standing over them
or is that the worlds response
to their response
from their treatment
of the worlds responses


How are we to respond?
Aren’t we supposed to believe them
Aren’t we supposed to give them space
Aren’t we supposed to respect them
Aren’t we supposed to take a stand for them


Aren’t we supposed to treat them differently?


So what if they take us on a walk down the garden path
Are we really concerned about their ability to be truthful
Or is it our pride that is hurt


Who else is going to believe them
Who else is giving to them space
Who else will respect them
Who else will stand for them


Who else will fight for them?


They have had to fight for themselves
And what are the rules in fighting
Is there rules in fighting
Isn’t the last option to fight

People fight to win
To win is to injure, disenables, destroy
the other

That’s not winning

Let us win by loving them

Let us win by believing them
Let us win by giving to them
Let us win through respecting them

Let us win by surrendering

Let us win by dying

Isn’t that how he won for us


(c) Samuel Chan
August 2007