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The injured butterfly
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I SHARE a desk with a classmate who walk alone on the playground. Overcome by strong feelings of inferiority, he confined himself to a restricted personal space. He is unwilling to interact with others, and others are unwilling to interact with him. Mental illness had caused him to lose all his friends.
His strong feelings of inferiority are due to difficulty in adjusting to a new environment and to the academic pressures. He often goes off by himself and is hostile to the world around him, for example, if the teacher tells us about an accident that resulted in a loss of lives, he would say "Great! We need to reduce the population!" He often stays awake all night for no apparent reason and then tells others that "I've been working hard (at studying) again!" Innumerable strange incidents like these make it difficult to tolerate his behaviour. I always try to avoid him and wish there were some way I would not have to share a desk with him.
While returning home one day, I saw him squatting alone by some flowery shrubs trying to help an injured butterfly. I was dumbfounded and amazed to find that he was so compassionate. Wasn't he hostile to the whole world? I couldn't help but run over and help him with the butterfly. He glanced gratefully at me and said "Thank you!" At that moment, I felt his trust and for the first time experienced a mutual affinity towards him.
I have the distinct feeling that my desk mate is like the injured butterfly. He needs others to rescue him, to help his spirit fly!
Tang Shuwei
Shenzhen Experimental School
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