Bon Air Week 2

On the way to Bon Air, I was less nervous than the first time. Before we did the screening process, I even noticed a funny picture showed in the TV hung over the entrance. It is about a guy who is putting up a notice said that “safety is the most important” while stepping on the banisters. After we entered into the library, we have awaited for a while. During that time, I was thinking that our partners might get into troubles. Fortunately they didn’t, although Jordan had a black eye which was obviously caused by a violate fight. When we talked about how was everybody’s last week. Eric even made a joke of it and he said Eric should really talk about his last week, since it was a pretty long and tough week for him. Jordan’s reaction was out of my expectation. He said he won as if fighting with someone and getting injured is something that deserves to be proud of.

Then, we talked in pairs about our memories of first day in school. Eric talked about his first day in high school. It was an awful day. He was suspended because of absence for more than 3 hours in class. Than I asked him did thing get better. He told me that thing did get better, but he went to school for the wrong reasons. He didn’t explain what did he mean by the wrong reasons. Here is where my first question comes from. How could he didn’t change it even he knew that he was wrong? To me, he is not devoid of judgement ability and determination. How could he just kept doing something that he already knew was wrong?

Then we talked about our family backgrounds. After I said that I and my father lack truly communications, he told me that I should really talk to him spontaneously before everything is too late. When he said this, he was like a old brother who tried to give me some advise to make my life better. He told me that his father passed away when he was really young. And when I said I am so sorry for that. He told me that I don’t need to be sorry for him. His response made me think a lot. Sometimes people tend to blame their failures  or faults for their family background, like because their families are poor or their parents are divorced. Admittedly, those objective conditions are important reasons that cause tragedies. But some people choose to degenerate while other people choose to face up to those difficulties. Apparently, Eric belongs to the latter.

I asked him about his plan after he is released. He said that he just wants to finish high school and finds himself. I interpreted “find himself”  as finding a new way of life and cashing off all his old troubled days. It struck me that he is so mature and wise. He is even more mature than some of my friends. Then how could he is in juvenile now? When did he come up with the idea of “finding himself”? If he realized the importance of find himself after he went to jail, it is a good sign, because it means that this horrible experience at least teaches him to correct mistake and plan for future. But if he came up with this idea before he was in Bon Air, does this means that he cannot get rid of the fate of ending up with troubles because of his growth environment?