Our catch phrase is on its way.
Dear Fellow Earthlings,
I turned 13 years of age on January 10, 1961. Until the end of May in that year I was still in the 7th grade and Mr. Armin “Do ya’ see?” Hartmann continued to be my homeroom teacher. The final five months of my 7th grade experience were days and nights of sock hops, basketball games, French lessons, and hanging around with friends. I became enthralled with geography and learned the names of every nation in the world as well as the land areas, populations, main products, and forms of governments of all of them. At home I enjoyed being with my dog Doc and with my bantam chickens – at one point, I actually had 76 of them. I knew the names of each one, recognized their personalities, and actually learned about how humans interact with one another by watching how my “banties” interacted among themselves. I must take a moment to talk about a particular bantam rooster named “Different”, named such because his comb – unlike the combs of the rest of my roosters – was a rose comb. At any rate, Different was young and ambitious and was rapidly moving up the power ladder. I had a sense of supporting the status quo, and saw that Different was on the verge of defeating “Strong Boy”, the longtime leader of the banties. To hold Different back I put him into some mud, knowing that the weight of the mud would make it impossible for him to fight at his best. What I had NOT anticipated was that not only would his rise up the ladder end, but that – after he was beaten and then bullied by all of the other roosters – he would lose his spirit entirely and would be meek and broken for the rest of his life. I had not intended for this to happen – and I was devastated by what I had done to a fellow living creature. Different, even to this day, I beg your foregiveness and swear with all my heart that I shall never again cause mental or physical anguish to any other living creature! Over the years I have had my own fair share of suffering – and have often felt that part of the reason why I have had to suffer is that I myself have inflicted suffering on others. I continue to ask God for forgiveness toward me even as I make sure never again to hurt anyone or anything!
Steve Walker, Earthsaver and Jingles Creator
© 2013 Steve Walker, The Jingles-The Japan Foundation for English Pronunciation, Summit Enterprises.