A friend of mine suffered a tragedy this week. I have great difficultly writing about this because what happened to her is violation of her person and an attack on her peace of mind. What happened to her has happened to me; maybe even some of you.
Someone stole her iPod out of her classroom.
Certainly, she should have kept it with her. She should not have taken it to work in the first place, perhaps. Maybe she should have locked it up or not left her classroom unlocked. Possibly, we shouldn’t blame the victim. Conceivably, we should feel safe in our own homes and classrooms. Perchance, we should be able to depend on the decency of our fellow humans not to take from us what is truly precious.
If you don’t have an iPod you don’t know. It becomes a part of you and an expression of who you are. While it holds your music, videos, photos, address book and calendar; it embraces and cherishes who you are. The iPod is a truly beautiful thing that you cannot appreciate until you have one yourself.
My iPod has been my companion on my trips around the country, making the airplane less communal and the Jetta less solitary. Without my iPod I wouldn’t have anyone to go to the gym with. Without my iPod I wouldn’t have anyone to sing with, abruptly in public places – off key and inappropriately – and I wouldn’t have a dance partner whenever I decided I needed to bust a move to complement my vocal styling.
No one else is constantly willing to go on a trip, get up before God has had his coffee and go to the gym, or make life a music video like an iPod will. I have had more iPods than I have had serious girlfriends – in fact I think that I have had more iPods than I have had anything except debate partners where I have topped out at twelve (disciples should always come in even dozens).
What is most discordant about this whole story is that the friend who was victimized is not the lardy, detestable, curmudgeon teacher – that’s me and she better not forget it – but the popular, au courant teacher adored by staff and student alike. This is akin to taking Mother Theresa’s sandals or breaking Gandhi’s glasses. It is debased, human treachery at its worst. This is a tragedy of Shakespearean proportion – an analogy I do not make lightly as we work at a junior high school – this violation of our sainted colleague is without foundation, pretext or defense.
Tomorrow, I am going to the scary gas station and I am going to buy a lottery ticket. I am going to pray that the ticket win so that I might use the winnings to right wrongs in the world; this is one wrong I would right.
I realize that others close to me have bigger fish to fry. I realize that I have bigger fish to fry. I could list them and work on solutions, and indeed I do. However, replacing the iPod is one small thing that can be done that would make the world a much better place.
If an iPod in my care has died, moved on or been taken from me by the cruel, cruel world a new one has always found its way to me. I hope that my friend’s luck, my friend’s iPod karma is the same and that a new one wanders into her life in the same way stray dogs and cats gravitate to crazy old people who are lonely.
If that were to happen then I would believe in justice again, in the goodness of other people. Until such time, however, I will be morose thinking of my inspirational fellow teacher.
Your description of the relationship that grows between ipod owner and ipod is exactly my experience. My ipod is my constant pal. I have it with me all day long and I bring it to bed with me. We travel together, ride in taxis, stand in lines, and shop. I love my iPod very much and much trauma would ensue if it was taken from me. I am sorry for your friend. I hope her iPod just took a little vacation and finds its way back to her again.
Posted by: Suburban Island | Saturday, 16 February 2008 at 11:09 PM
Getting an i-pod stolen with all one's personal music on it is a true violation. (it happened to my daughter) I downloaded i-pod copy, and she waited for Christmas for a new i-pod, then we put all of her special songs back onto the new one from her i-tunes library on the computer. It was slick. I hope Goddess Teacher can do the same!
Posted by: Margaret | Monday, 18 February 2008 at 01:14 AM