I remember only bits and
pieces of how the Dream began. I was traveling somewhere. At first I was with
my mom, but then I was surrounded by my group of friends. It looked like we
went to some kind of program. The one in charge was a tall middle-aged man. He
looked a little Caucasian. I remember he had a distinct broad, square jaw and
thinning hair. He wore a dark grey collared shirt and black slacks, and looked
like some middle-school teacher. We were minding our own business when suddenly
he comes up to us and rudely tells us off, making irrational demands of what we
should be doing at the moment. Things we couldn't possibly do at the program or
at that period of time, and the way he was barking orders at us really got on
my nerves.
I couldn't stand it. I
stood up to face him. I was at his shoulder length, which was weird considering
he's supposedly Caucasian, and I looked him in the eyes. I told him off,
explaining our situation and exclaiming how he could be so rude. He doesn't
listen and shouts even louder, belittling me just because I was a student. He
had a roll of newspaper in his hand and was threatening to hit me with it. That
was the last straw. As he was waving the newspaper in my face, I grabbed the
thick roll of paper – crushing it – and I grabbed the collar of his shirt. I
pulled hard till he was inches away from my face. I said, “I dare you to try. I
dare you.” He's taken aback but tries
to remain his ground. He warns me and threatens me more, while slowly backing
away. I just move forward, giving him my best scowl. I was not amused at his
behavior.
He directs his frustration
to the other students, my friends, and I get in between them, defending them
from his authority. Furious, he continues his insults but I just stepped
forward, intimidating him with each step. I taunted him, psyching him the
closer I got to him. With my arms out wide, it was like I was saying 'come at
me bro, show me what you got!' After the third time, he was finally dissuaded
and left us alone. However soon after, I noticed he was having a problem of his
own. Some technical difficulties or something with the program, and because of
his earlier behavior, no one wanted to help him out. I knew how to help his
situation, but I didn't entertain him. I also didn't mock him, even though I
thought that problem of his was really simple to solve.
The next person I had the
'pleasure' of meeting was a student from our group. She was the supervisor for
our group for the program, but she was an incompetent leader. She was
completely arrogant, bossy, mean, and just downright immature with how she
handed people she didn't like. She acted as if she knew what she was doing, but
in reality she wasn't doing anything right. She hated admitting mistakes and
didn't like people pointing them out as obvious as they were. I don't remember
arguing with her, just her horrid personality. Ironically when she encountered some
technical problem, just like the teacher earlier, she needed help.
No one in her clique, like
herself, was competent enough to do the job. When she realised I was the only
one who could help her, she suddenly became sweet and charming, holding me by the
shoulders and calling me her friend. If it's another thing I hate, its
two-faced people. But I felt mature enough to help without feeling any ill-will
towards her. I just did the work (some technical thingiemajig on the computer)
in quiet dignity. Even as she praised me or made jokes, I just didn't entertain
her as I normally would people. In the computer room we were in, I noticed
there was a child playing on the floor not far from us. I wondered what the
child was doing but I didn't approach her till after I was done with the
computer.
I went to the child to see
what she was doing on the floor. She was surrounded by a mess of cards, those
kinds that kids would collect in packs like Digimon, Pokemon etc. But all of a
sudden, the brat screams hyperactive nonsense and throws cards and other toys
at me. In real life, I really can't stand bratty children. Those kind of
children that have temper tantrums when they don't get what they want, or when
they just be downright obnoxious cus they think it's funny. In the Dream, I
just felt like I wanted to slap that little kid. She hid under a table and
tried throwing the cards at me one by one, like those ninja Shuriken. But her
throws were flimsy, and I almost laughed.
Then I picked up a card
and flicked it properly and it hit the table hard, which gave her a shock. I
flicked another one and it hit her, I think. That's when she came out from
under the table with a yelp. Those cards looked flimsy from the outside, but
once you flick it properly, it hits you like a rock. And from some angles,
they're really sharp. But instead of running away from me, she came to me
asking how I was able to do that with the cards. And instead of slapping the
kid silly, I spoke calmly and taught her how to flick the cards properly. It
was funny how I could change from utterly frustrated to a relaxed, mature
adult; especially when it came to the kid.
The girl might represent how angry I am at the declining quality of youth nowadays; how shallow, selfish, and plain stupid we've all become. People my age should be mature adults by now, but some of us are surprisingly as immature as the little girl I met last. The little girl represents the generation under me; how naïve and stubborn they are regarding the life around them. Many have lost the good old-fashioned family values, becoming spoiled little brats who don't know the meaning of hard work.
But then, I still have hope for them. It is the responsibility of my generation to take care of them and teach them about life, and not to repeat the same mistakes. I still have hope for the next generation, and I will do my best to do my share.
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