Student VENTure

Greetings to Friend and Foe alike,

I don’t know it it’s the old age (I’ve been officially a non-teenager for 2 months now ), or education taking its toll on my life outside university, but I notice a changing in my attitude to, well, everything. But the most noticeable change is in regards to the young people (including the people my age, so let’s say between 12 and 25) I observe in everyday life, or more accurately; the negative aspects of them.

Example #1: WindscreenWiper Dude

My route home includes the Manning Rd off-ramp onto Canning HWY, a favourite hangout for youths who offer to wash your car windsheild for a few bucks. I normally remain impassive to these kids, as that is what they are, and because once they get the “No thanks” signal they move onto the next car. Except for 2 Fridays ago, when one of them darted around the back of my car unnanounced and unninvited, and lathered up my windscreen with as much detergant as he could as quick as he could so there was no time to say for me to say no. So naturally I wound down my window and said “Sorry mate, but can you clear that stuff off my windsheild? I only washed this beast (sarcasm inserted here – I drive a Mazda 323 from the same year I was born) yesterday“. This was met with “But man, look, huh, I’ve started! Gotta pay up man“. I went for the the teacher voice and said “Sorry, but you started without asking me so I won’t be paying you. Just wipe it off for me”. This request was greeted with “F*** off, c***” and then he started to walk away, leaving my windsheild looking like Sinatra’s White Christmas. At 6ft 6in I have a pretty imposing height advantage over most people, and he did notice this when I got out of the car and said “Mate, you have 2 choices: Either you wipe that crap off my car, or I make you lick it off. Your choice”. (I’d like to make a note here that I am not violent or aggressive in anyway. In fact I probably need to be moreso. I’m not a fighter, I’m a bleeder).

Anyway, he decided that it was in his best interest to wipe the stuff off, muttering a string of curses and doing the worst passable job he could. The fact I wonder is this: Who the hell are this kid’s role-models? From the way he dressed I would assume it was 50 Cent, and the fact that he used the term “Thats so gangsta!” to one of his friends makes me pity this poor misguided kid. We used to be able to follow the example of high-profile sport stars, but with the Ben Cousins and Jana Rawlinsons of this world leading our kids the world would be ruined by 2020. The last truly inspirational Australian political leader was Gough Whitlam, and since then we’ve been burdened with sneaky, corrupt weasels and nerds who either care more about their own social and economic positions than the people they govern or are so boring you would chew your arm off after 3 minutes of conversation with them. The most economically stable and affluent people in society are drug-dealers. Pop Tarts like the Pussycat dolls disgrace themselves but make millions of dollars by catering directly to pre-pubescent girls’ dreams of growing up to be “The number-one chick when I step out on the scene“. People kill and maim on the streets of Northbridge and Fremantle over everything from the wrong look to the wrong girl. And these are the people that this generation are most exposed to. As teachers, how much can we hope to accomplish with all this to contend with? However hard I’ll tell you this: Its definately something worth fighting for.

C

Rarely do we think and reflect on what inspires us to be who we are, on what and who alters our lives and passions.

On Tuesday morning, a good friend of mine called Emu (he runs like an emu) from CBC Amateur Football Club passed away after a miraculous 17 day fight with an extremely rare type of pneumonia that has been diagnosed 5 times previously in the world. For this to happen to a compassionate, gentle man at the age of 25 is of course extremely sad, and makes it hard for me to believe in a higher power who clearly thinks that this is acceptable but allows the users, the corrupted and the evil to not only survive, put prosper. A good thing I’m not religious. The inspiring and important part of this story is that 15 days ago, Emu’s parents were called to the hospital to say goodbye as the doctors believed he wouldn’t survive the night. To the medical staff’s disbelief, he fought on through the night, and then 14 more nights, showing strength, courage and resilience to rival any previously encountered. Unfortunately he faded quickly over the last 24 hours, and his family turned off life support early on Tuesday.

To think that 3 days ago I would have been having a whinge about a mild workload at uni that was getting in the way of work, cricket and, to be honest, drinking time, seems laughable to me now. To look at it that way when there’s a bloke trying to beat something that is eating his lungs puts so many things in perspective for me, highlighting the importance of doing the best we can, while we can. If even once in my life I could show the courage and strength that Emu showed over the last 2 weeks, I could die a happy man.