St. Sebastian Church

Blame Game

 Science teaches us that every action has an opposite reaction. In our day to day lives, we continue doing the deeds expected of us. Sometimes, with an open mind, we tend to reach out to others and be a helping hand to get a job done.

As is expected, at times we succeed but on a few occasions, we may not be successful. Many a times, you are glorified, only if things work out right, but a failure attracts condemnation, for no fault of yours. This attitude deters people to come forward with a helping hand.

But there are instances also, where the system failures are deliberate and man-made. Take for example the recent deaths of over 70 innocent children in Gorakhpur, U.P. It is reported that the horrific incident took place due to shortage of oxygen cylinders at the hospital. What a sickening and heinous crime on the poor souls. Who is responsible for this tragedy? Amid wild allegations against individuals and of system failures, the blame game, continues at a furious pace. The suppliers of oxygen cylinders, doctors, hospital management, government ministers and officials, all blaming one another for this sordid fiasco.

In our own State of Goa, the recent deaths of two youngsters allegedly due to overdose of drugs, should make us hang our heads in shame. Here again, the blame game is on Official version and eye-witness accounts of this incident are totally different.

Let us hope and pray that the culprits responsible for all this are made to pay for their misdeeds and may the souls of the unfortunate victims rest in peace.

We, at Pormoll Editorial Board, would like to thank God, for blessing our Editor, Dr. Alfredo Antao, who is now back in Aquem, after undergoing treatment and rehabilitation. His will power and full faith in our Lord, is an inspiration to all of us. We wish him well.

I take this opportunity in wishing all our teachers a ‘Happy Teacher’s Day’ on 5^th Sept, and a ‘Happy Mother’s Day’ on 8^th Sept. May the 8^th of Sept, the birthday of our heavenly Mother, be an occasion for us to rejoice and celebrate the joyous event. Happy Feast to one and all.

Until we meet again.

Felix Dias

Rather than belt out some clichés on the do’s and don’ts of the teaching profession, I’d like to share an episode that comes to mind from my over forty years in a vocation that is nothing short of a divine calling.

One morning as I walked out of my lecture in the F. Y. BCom class, Susan (name changed) followed hard at my heels. Even before I turned, she grabbed my hand and demanded, “Madam I need to talk to you. When can I come?” Running through my packed schedule for the day, I tried to put it off for the morrow. “No”, she insisted, “it’s got to be today”. Sensing the urgency of the matter I shelved other commitments and asked her to meet me in my cabin during my free period. “Yes Susan”, I said holding her hand in mine. She burst into tears. I let her sob for some time. Then she began “My mother married this lecherous drunkard. My father died leaving us homeless and in utter poverty. Taking advantage of the situation, this man befriended my mother, assuring her that he would take care of both of us. Once married he showed his true colours. I shudder when I think of the physical and mental trauma my mother has gone through. But the worst was yet to come. In my growing up years to my horror, I realized that he was a paedophile. Day or night I am not safe when alone with him in the house. How can I tell this to my mother – already so battered and tormented? There’s no one I can turn to. So I decided to speak to you, before I do something drastic.”

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In ancient times a teacher was considered to be a guru, but sadly only the male child had the privilege of getting educated and that too if he belonged to a certain caste or community.

The other children were not given the opportunity to education. The females on the other hand were completely denied any education except to learn the art of cooking and housekeeping.

The teacher [guru] taught all that he knew, all his skills to the child and most often the child had to live with the teacher [guru] till he had accomplished all the skills.

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Open up our daily newspaper and what do we read? It’s all about politicians, violence and catastrophes.  Is this what we really want to read? The media plays a very important role in our lives. I would say we are greatly influenced by it. How we mould our youngsters is important as they will be tomorrow’s future generation.

The use of gadgets, especially smart phones and tablets, is increasingly growing among the youth. Our future generation is showing the true meaning of being ‘technologically savvy’. The obsession for phones is such, that most teenagers use their phones while in bed.  Late night phone use directly contributes to poor sleep habits, which over time leads to decline in overall well-being and mental health. So the more you sit in bed and watch TV, play with your tablet, phone and have your phone beeping at 3 in the morning, all these things affect your sleep pattern and will give the person poor quality sleep. It’s a growing issue with teenagers, adolescents and the young. It’s going to affect their attitude, their cognitive skills, concentrations skills, and their moodiness during the day.

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This run is organized every year since 2016 by the Rotary Club of Porvorim. It is a major fund raising event to support the Flagship Community Service Activity of the Rotary Club of Porvorim – “The Prakash Cancer Aid Project” and the entire fund goes to this project.
The Prakash Cancer Aid Project is directed towards prevention and treatment of cancer in women. The three major cancers targeted are breast cancer, cervical cancer and ovarian tumors.

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