Alan Veale
|
The End of Term?I learnt some valuable lessons this week.
I learnt about the joy and wonder of children – what they bring to the lives of adults – and how much hurt there can be to lose them.
I learnt about people who can never know either of those extremes – and how much I pity them for their sad, cold existence.
This week a 13 year old child took her own life – and in doing so, fatally damaged the lives of her mother and stepfather. These people were colleagues of mine at the Land Registry, and their feelings of loss are indescribable. As the father of a girl not much younger, I treasure what I still have, that they do not. I know just how much pleasure I get from seeing my children growing up, facing up to their own challenges, and making new achievements. I find it impossible to imagine how life would be if all that was suddenly taken out of my life.
But then there is the other extreme – the people who have no emotional highs or lows at all – who exist without experiencing a sense of pride in other’s achievements, or a sense of loss when things go wrong. There are such people – and in my opinion Mrs Coupe is one of them. This week I learnt of her unshakeable conviction that the police would sort everything out for her – all those terrible things that “Mr Vile” had encouraged in others would stop! Or would they? For months now she has been trying to use her connections with the police to close this forum, or to track down its contributors. She has openly threatened both children and staff with police action if they do not “toe the line” at Marton Primary School. And she has failed. Again.
This week I was questioned by the police over a posting on this forum. Oh Yes! The police DO read your messages – and on this occasion, they had to ask me for some clarification on what was meant by something I had said in a posting that referred to Mrs Coupe. My answer helped to clear the air – but the occasion also helped me to understand that the police do NOT seek to restrict freedom of speech, nor are they anxious to prevent us from voicing our opinions, or criticising public figures. They are NOT looking to trace any of our anonymous contributors. What they ask is that we do not break the bounds of human decency, and we restrict ourselves to a “war of words” that does not in itself lead to outright rebellion on the streets!
But what a reflection on poor old Mrs Coupe: sitting there in her ivory tower, devoid of any respect from her colleagues or her peers, gradually realising that her power is eroding away. She never experienced the pleasures that children can bring in their special way. She enjoyed her moments of power, and the financial rewards that came with them no doubt – but that time is now almost at an end. None of us need to fear her any more – just show some pity as she waits for the proverbial axe to fall…
If you are a parent or a teacher, and you understand what I mean about the way children can touch our lives, then congratulations – you have something that Mrs Coupe probably never had, and could never understand. It is called “compassion” – a sentiment never found in a bully. Give her your pity – and move on.
Alan Veale
|
