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I recently told my tale of personal woe in an article that was published on the Huffington Post website.
It was scary to bare my soul in a public setting but I thought it might help other teachers to know that there was someone else out there who had a difficult time doing a challenging job.
The feedback I received was amazing. I got comments from teachers all over the world. “It’s like you are telling MY story.” Some people sympathizied, others empathized and some disagreed.
I also received some rather interesting feedback that implied there was a game at hand that I didn’t realize I was playing.
“Meh. Big deal. That’s nothing. You should see what I had to deal with.”
To which I replied (in my head), “Really? Is this a contest? Are we playing Who’s the Biggest Loser right now? Is this a special episode of The Amazing Pity Party?”
The one-upmanship in the comment section was quite amusing to watch.
“Humpf. This lady obviously had lots of money and got to stay home all day. I don’t have any money and I am run off my feet working two jobs.”
“Hold on, here. You have it made! You have two feet? I only have one foot and no job and I sit in my house all day crying my eyes out.”
“Whoa, whoa, suck it up, lucky duck. You have one leg? I have no legs and I live on the street where I wish I could cry but I have no tear ducts because they were removed by aliens!!!”
You see where I’m going with this?
We’re all just simple human beings trying to get by in a world that’s sometimes neither fair nor kind.
And sometimes the only thing that gets us through the day is the compassion of others – family, friends, and yes, even strangers.
Pain is pain. Compassion is compassion.
And I’ll let you in on a little secret: It’s not a competition.
I know the story I told isn’t the most pitiful story in the history of the world. In fact, it not even the saddest story within a 100 metre radius of my house.
But it’s my story. And it’s the only one I can tell.
Feel free to tell your own. Trust me. If it caused you pain, you have my compassion.
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For the ultimate one-upmanship story of woe, check out the attached Monty Python sketch. Be prepared to snort milk out your nose (if you’re drinking milk, that is).
Four Yorkshiremen – The script
Monty Python – Four Yorkshiremen - The Video
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
