Chapter Two
Now many people came to see The Young Speaker,
and brought him gifts. When it came time for him to go to school, he
was offered a place in a very private and expensive school, but when he
was told of it, he refused. "I want to go to school with my friends,"
he insisted, "here in my own city."
2 His parents were disappointed. "But you could learn so much more,"
they argued, "at this other school. It is a shame to waste this
opportunity. "
3 "Mother," the boy answered, "do you really think any school could
teach me more than I already know? I wrote their books! I only wish to
go to school so I may learn the problems my brothers and sisters have,
and help them deal with them. Do you not know that is my purpose in
this lifetime?"
4 His mother laughed. "Forgive me," she said, kissing him on the cheek,
"I am only a mother. I sometimes forget my child knows more than I!"
5 So The Young Speaker started school, and what he found angered him.
The school was full of bullies that terrorized and even robbed the
young students. Drugits openly sold their poison in the school yard,
and no one did anything about it. Many of the children lived in
constant terror.
6 He began to speak to them. "Why do you endure this?" he asked. "Why
do you not fight back?"
7 "They are bigger than we are," explained the younger children, "we
can't hurt them."
8 "Not alone," agreed The Young Speaker, "but if you group together,
gang up on them, you can drive them off. Remember, a bully is basically a coward. As long as he
escapes punishment, he will continue to be a bully, but if you start
fighting back, hurting him, he's going to leave you alone, because he
doesn't want to be hurt.