My son starts school today. It is all going to be strange and new to him for a while and I wish you would treat him gently. It is an adventure that might take him across continents. All adventures that probably include wars, tragedy and sorrow. To live this life will require faith, love and courage.
So dear Teacher, will you please take him by his hand and teach him things he will have to know, teaching him – but gently, if you can. Teach him that for every enemy, there is a friend. He will have to know that all men are not just, that all men are not true. But teach him also that for every scoundrel there is a hero, that for every crooked politician, there is a dedicated leader.
Teach him if you can that 10 cents earned is of far more value than a dollar found. In school, teacher, it is far more honorable to fail than to cheat. Teach him to learn how to gracefully lose, and enjoy winning when he does win.
Teach him to be gentle with people, tough with tough people. Steer him away from envy if you can and teach him the secret of quiet laughter. Teach him if you can – how to laugh when he is sad, teach him there is no shame in tears. Teach him there can be glory in failure and despair in success. Teach him to scoff at cynics.
Teach him if you can the wonders of books, but also give time to ponder the extreme mystery of birds in the sky, bees in the sun and flowers on a green hill. Teach him to have faith in his own ideas, even if every one tell him they are wrong.
Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when everyone else is doing it. Teach him to listen to every one, but teach him also to filters all that he hears on a screen of truth and take only the good that comes through.
Teach him to sell his talents and brains to the highest bidder but never to put a price tag on his heart and soul. Let him have the courage to be impatient, let him have the patient to be brave. Teach him to have sublime faith in himself, because then he will always have sublime faith in mankind, in God.
This is the order, teacher but see what best you can do. He is such a nice little boy and he is my son.
Dear Omak,
ReplyDeleteIt seems that some, if not most of your readers, CAN'T understand english....what a shame...itulah, bang sana, bang sini, sibuk kutuk sana, kutuk sini, semua orang salah dia seorang yang betul (terutama encik KEDEPAN) yang suka merendah-rendahkan orang lain, tetapi diri sendiri tidaklah sehebat mana....sama jugak macam tok-tok lebai PAS dan pemimpin PKR melayu juga UMNGOK yang kononnya hebat, tapi tahap pemahaman dan komunikasi Bahasa Inggeris amatlah memalukan! Credit to the ruling government for their flip-flop policy making, that have ruined the whole local education system in its entirety..kepada macai politik partisan, jangan ingat pembaca dan blogwalkers Omakkau ini semuanya bodoh macam kamu yang hanya tau jilat pemimpin...saya dan kawan-kawan yang lain sebagai majoriti senyap selalu memerhati dan beri komen sekiranya perlu untuk menyedarkan khalayak akan peri pentingnya memahami sesuatu isu dengan FAKTA, bukan mencerna dengan emosi..kalau bahasa melayu hatta bahasa inggeris pun OUT, tak perlulah berkokok bak bapak ayam tua! Fikir-fikirkan...
kalau surat Linncoln ini di guna pakai di sekolah sekolah negara kita , tiada lah tempat untuk cari makan bagi bebudak bahalol dalam negara kerana tiada lah umnpo dan pas.
ReplyDeleteI suppose machais on both sides of the political divide are aware of their weakness - lack of comprehension of the English language. Typical jaguh kampung, many of them- afraid to step out of their comfort zones hence can only kokok macam bapak ayam tua to quote saudara/saudari anonymous 12.31
ReplyDelete........dan sebahlol sebahlol manusia ialah manusia yg sentiasa dok cari kesalahan , sekiranya tak jumpa dia ciptanya kesalahan tersebut dan diadunkan dengan pelbagai fitnah dgn tujuan jahat dari hari ke hari serta disepakati oleh penyokong2nya seolah2 malaikat lagaknya yg mencatat amalan seseorang padahal dia lupa dirinya akan mati dan kesalahannya kelak akan dibongkar ! Lalu takburlah dia ke sana ke sini bahawa dia Juara membongkar rahsia keaiban orang padahal apa yg dicanangkan itu adalah fitnah yg dibuat2 bertujuan mengaibkan demi melangsungkan perjuangan yg bebal lagi memuaskan nafsu duniawi semata2 hatta terpaksa menagih simpati sokongan pihak yg keji seumpama seorang calon presiden amerika terpaksa menagih sokongan yahudi walaupun ia tahu mereka ini adalah keji........dan inilah senario sekarang yg berlaku di Malaysia. Alahai kesiannya Melayu Islam yg sentiasa melayuuuuuuuuu !
ReplyDeletetuju kat sapa tu?..
DeleteKhabarnya Ibrahim Lengkong ni orang baik genius
ReplyDeletewalaupun tak pernah hadir penuh sesi persekolahan tapi setiap kali peperiksaan dia dapat markah penuh
Kalau kat kita buleh jadi orang macam Za'aba kot, taraf pandit. Orang dulu sebut pendita
Thank you Omak for sharing this piece of gem. Makes me think about the scary and treacherous road for our young Malaysian..
ReplyDeleteSemua sama je... kutuk org je...
ReplyDelete