Third and Nine … The Rise And Fall Of Civilization

I watched them at recess one day from  behind the glass windows that ran the length of the classroom.  …..

Several boys worked together to build a snowman. They built it so quickly! Recess was only half over when they finished.

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Once finished they grew disinterested.  They didn’t know what to do but, once a couple of the boys started throwing snowballs at the girls, they all joined in.

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The girls screamed and ran away delighted at the sudden attention being paid to them.

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A few snowballs found their targets, exploding in the middle of their backs.

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One girl tripped and fell, her face imbedded in the snow.  I heard peals of laughter vibrate through the double pane glass.

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Snow covered the girl’s face.  Then a moist black hole appeared where she spit the snow away while at the same time, two black dots at the top of her face … her eyes … appeared.

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The boys pointed at her laughing.  The girls stood off to the side, mittens in their mouths to hide their smiles .. maybe control their laughter.

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One boy fell down rolling around in the snow laughing.

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It looked like a live snowgirl had been created with living black coal for her eyes and mouth.

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With what little time that was left before the bell rang, I watched four boys attack and destroy the snowman they had built earlier.

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How interesting,  I thought.  It seemed that in fifteen minutes, I had witnessed a model for tens of thousands years of warfare; construction, destruction, the death of innocents and even the symbolism of rape.

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I thought to myself, “Maybe warfare is a part of who we are.  When will it ever end?”

I shook my head from side to side.

……

Then I decided another great secret had been revealed.  I realized that perhaps by the end of the school year, I would learn more about life from my students than they would from me.

Or at least it would be an equal exchange.