A lesson on school (not a school lesson, big dif ;)

Dear Friends*,

This is concerning school.

Many teenagers, are lost. We do not have a meaning in life. We are mainly concerned about these things: Love (crushes), friendships, school (homework) and family (pressure, parents not understanding etc.) These are the things that revolves around us. I will attempt to tackle these subjects, with my knowledge and understanding, and I hope that you all will participate too.

I hear many of you complaining that we are under a lot of pressure. That is correct. I too complain. I feel depressed sometimes, and that I have no hope. But I usually get ok after a while.

The first thing we learn today: We DON'T have a choice. Hey, many people say that we have a choice in what we do. I beg to DIFFER. We don't. Do we have a choice where we are born in, to which parents, to which country? No, we don't. And what do we do about it? We adapt, or we die. Simple really.

I am sure many of us have thought of dying too. We want to be free. But let me warn you first, dying without enlightenment isn't a pretty thing. Its only at the last minute [trust me] that you will regret it.

So how do we cope with our schoolwork? We don't have a choice about school. That is true, but we have a choice about how we go about it. There are 3 options we can choose. No. 1, We need to find something good in it. Find the good in it, focus on it and ignore the rest. For example, I am in classes full of girls. And to me, I am not a brave guy. It kinda scares me. In 2E, I am faced with 35 girls. When I go to Jap class, I am the only guy there. Really. And it sometimes stresses me out. So what do I focus on? The lessons. I throw myself into the lessons, and enjoy it. I accept the facts that I will make mistakes and people [girls] will laugh, but I find it not too bad. I read before: "Remember that girls are as nervous around you [boys] are around them". C.G*, Its so easy to talk to you on MSN, but I don't even utter a word to you in school...I apologise about that.

2nd option, we find a purpose. I mean like, why the hell do we bother to study? That is actually a very important question. When I ask my friends what they want to be when they grow up, they tell me they don't know. That is a big mistake. For me, I may want to be a social worker. And I hate Chinese. Now what does social work has got to do with chinese? Most lower class families speak Chinese, and I got to learn it well. See? That gives me a purpose.

The 3rd and most difficult option is to be a Buddha. Let all your desires and feelings go. So what happens? Nothing affects you. Whether you are alone, or you are with your friends, it doesn't matter. Whether you pass or fail it doesn't matter. You have no desires, remember? IF you can do that, no problem, you can quit school, and go become a monk. You have been enlightened, congrats, and will stay in Nirvana and do not need to go to school anymore. You will never need to enter this cursed place again.

Well, the first lesson is done. Fantastic Job. Now the homework. If you want to be enlightened, hey, you gotta do your homework [if you don't then you do not need to]. Send me at least 2 paragraphs on what you think about this, and I will include it when I send you the next lesson, whenever that might be. Tell me what you want to learn next, or ask any question you wish. S.E*, I would like to ask you, i never heard complain much, or at all. Do you have any stress and just keeping quiet, or have you found a way to deal with this mess?

Written by:

Your friend,

Aaron

*Names have been changed.