Tag Archives: integrity

An Inspiring & Compassionate Canadian

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TerryFoxRun

November is Inspirational Role Models Month (officially in the U.S., but that’s no reason not to observe it elsewhere). While it was still October when we had our Terry Fox Run and our class watched the CTV movie, Terry, if I’m thinking about inspriational Role models, this inspiring Canadian is among the first that comes to mind.

Looking at all that Terry did, there is no doubt that his actions and achievements are awesome; that they inspire awe. But what awes me most (even considering how amazing his efforts and achievements were) is the way his actions embodied compassion.

Terry was able to identify with and understand what other cancer patients were feeling, maybe uniquely able to do so. But it is neither his sympathy nor his empathy that I find so inspiring. Terry not only felt along with those suffering from cancer and their loved ones, he took action to help with that suffering. Beyond that, he not only took action himself, but he created a path and enabled others to join his journey so that everyone could work together and be part of the solution to the problem that he and so many others were facing.

With his compassion, Terry showed everyone how much he cared. His compassion helped him to connect and unite people to work together. I would argue that it was his compassion that made him able to achieve what so many refused to believe was possible. And as we look around at the ways so many people today seem so divided, maybe Terry’s compassion is something for us to look to again for inspiration to think, feel & act with others in mind. If we do, maybe we can find ways to work together to accomplish what right now seems almost impossible.

Who are some of your inspirational role models? What is it about what they say and do that you find so inspiring?

 

Wondering, what would I do?

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We are in the middle of reading R.J. Palacio’s now well-known book, Wonder. Some of us have finished reading it on our own. Some have even already been to see the movie, which is never as good as the book, right‽ As a group, however we are currently in the section from Jack’s perspective.

 

Jack is an interesting character. They all are, but what I find interesting about Jack is the particular set of flaws and challenges he has. Jack’s flaws are different from and less obvious maybe than August’s or less infuriating than Julian’s, but he has them. I find Jack’s challenges interesting to think about because they are familiar and common. How does one actually manage to do the right thing when it would require confronting friends and other peers, would draw a lot of attention and could mean being excluded?

Conflict is unpleasant, but to take on the kind of confrontation Jack might face were he to take a stand and declare his loyalties, especially as an adolescent when peers, friendships and social standing take on new significance, would require not only courage but the ability to think clearly and weigh big issues. Are there any of us who hasn’t avoided having an unpleasant conversation? It might be easy, reading a story, to decide what a character should have done, and that’s one great reason to read novels. Characters & stories give us a chance to think through conflicts that help us figure out who we are and who we want to be. But if I was facing Jack’s situation, as a 5th-grader, I’m not sure exactly how I would have dealt with it. I would hope I’d have done the right thing, but doing the right thing when we are called to act and in the face of all the complications of relationships & emotions is not so easy.

I do think Jack deserves a little of our scorn, but I wouldn’t want to be too quick to condemn him for having a very normal difficulty negotiating the kind of challenge we are all likely to struggle with. His character, his situation, and this whole story all help me reflect on important matters, and that is what draws my interest.

I’d like to know which characters you find particularly interesting. Who do you think is facing a particularly interesting challenge that wouldn’t be so easy to handle? What do you hope you might have done in the same situation? What do you hope the character would have done or will do?