Opinion 'Fixing' our youth By John Gathright	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
若者を治す ある日、筆者が運営する木登り学校に不登校の少女が母親に連れられて来た。耳や鼻、唇にピアスをつけた娘を何とか普通の子にしたい、と母親は思っているらしいのだが…。

Amid the trees, joyful children and encouraging parents were filling the forest with life and laughter. As I was taking in the tree-climbing school's fun and excitement, a mother dragged her daughter over to me.

"I'm sorry we're late. You know teenagers; you can't get them to do anything. I hope you can get her to climb. You know, she doesn't go to school or anything; she is a futoko. And look at her hair and all the holes she has put in her face! I hope tree climbing will do her some good!"

One look and I understood the holes that the mother was talking about. The daughter, Fumiko, had five or six earrings pierced in each ear, a small chain connecting one of them to her nose and two more rings in her lower lip.

I smiled to the mother and said, "Your daughter is welcome to join us if she likes. I will show her the ropes, but it is up to her to climb."

After the mother had left, I said to Fumiko, "Don't worry about not going to school. Not one of the trees in this forest has ever been to school. And there is no dress code here; all of the animals run around naked!" We shared a laugh, and then I introduced her to one of the climbing teams. She did not climb that day. Instead she was a forest wallflower.

I was happy and surprised that Fumiko came tree-climbing a second time. Although she still did not climb, she seemed to enjoy the tree-climbing ambience. On this occasion, a disabled climber was to join our group and I lost track of Fumiko as the instructors and I prepared the ropes and rigging for our challenged climber. I noticed, however, that when the young boy arrived and all were attending to him, Fumiko had also drawn closer to the group.

Tadashi, the young boy, was going to be climbing with his wheelchair. He was thin and fragile, and his arms were covered in needle scars from intravenous medicines. Nonetheless, his face beamed with the anticipation of ascending into the trees. We needed all of the help that we could find, so I asked Fumiko for her assistance. Though somewhat nervous at first, she soon bonded with Tadashi. Since she was not busy climbing, she spent a lot of time with Tadashi that day.

After a little time, Tadashi noticed Fumiko's piercings and asked, "Did you do that to yourself?" A moment later, Fumiko excused herself and walked toward the toilets. When she returned she was wearing no earrings or chain. She answered my unspoken question. "I would feel sad if everyday I had to be poked full of holes with needles and then saw someone like me who did it for fun."

When the mother returned for Fumiko, she was very pleased that her daughter had abandoned her piercings, and she thanked the staff and me profusely for "fixing" her daughter.

I do not feel that you can simply "fix" a person. It is positive influences and emotionally stimulating experiences that bring out the best in people. With or without body piercings, Fumiko is a good person. Befriending
Tadashi brought out the charity and compassion in Fumiko.

There is a valuable lesson here for adults and educators. Pushing our youth can often be counterproductive. It is far better to lead them gently in the right direction by creating, through activities and influences, an environment that allows their innate goodness to blossom.

Shukan ST: July 27, 2001

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