“Are people born wicked, or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?”*

What makes someone wicked or evil? Do people already have it in them when they’re born? Is it something that develops while you’re growing up? Can someone truly influence our outcome? How we are going to turn out? Do we have any control over it? Can someone be utterly wicked?... or completely good? How much of it is biological and how much of it is social? Will we ever get the answers to all of these questions? Do even want to have them? It might become just one more reason to discriminate and hate and… What if against all odds someone break the rules and turns out to be an exception?

As an educator, as a teacher, I have to believe that environment matters. That the circle where you are brought up in, that you are raised will take their parts in how someone’s personality is shaped. But how many times have we seen and heard stories about people who seemed to have had great childhoods, loving parents, that simply seemed to have had all reasons to be happy, honest and good and just turn out doing the most horrific things? And how many kids had to face things that most of us would not be able to cope with and still are able to turn their life around and become amazing and generous people?

We can’t give up. We have to believe that we can make a change. That maybe our words, our love, our care and attention will make the difference in someone’s life.

Everyone should be received in this world with happiness, joy and love, unfortunately, not every child gets that when they’re born. And no matter how hard we try sometimes there’s nothing we can do to prevent that. But, we can try to fix it. We can try to mend that broken soul. Everyone deserves a chance, especially a child. Sometimes it’s just too tempting, it’s just easier to follow what everyone else is saying about that person and believe in it. So you don’t waste time, so you can dedicate your attention to those you really matter. But what if everyone else is wrong? What if you could be the one changing their life and you just walk away without even trying?

 Maybe a lot of the times you’ll be deceived but that one time that you are not will make up for everything.

But let’s be real… You won’t be able to help everybody, maybe not even half of the people you’ll try to. So, how do we know we’ve done enough? When is it fair to give up and move on?  Won’t it hunt you the rest of your life the fact that maybe you should have stayed just a little bit longer?

It’s tricky… and there’s only so much you can do. If I believe people can change? I do… but it has to come from the inside. You cannot force someone to change. They may fake it for a while, they may control their actions, they may even believe they’ve changed and deceived themselves but if they don’t feel it, if they don’t fight their demons and just try to cover it up eventually it will all come out. And sometimes it will take even worst proportions has it had all been repressed for that time.

It’s hard to lose someone. It’s tough to accept that no matter how much you love that someone there’s nothing you can do to help them. It hurts see them falling right in from your eyes and not be able to do nothing. But sometimes it is really not up to you. 

* Title by Glinda in Wicked (the play)