«My condolences,» she commented. He simply sighed.
«I started teaching in September and tried to make my pupils interested in English any way I could I did my best to tell them what they could achieve providing they sat and learned for their last two years at school, but to no avail. More importantly, theyre from troubled families, theyre disadvantaged children, so to speak. I asked them what theyd want to hear about Paris, London, Taipei, Berlin, Frankfurt, Vienna, Beijing, Shanghai, but even this prompted no reaction from them. I said, «Right, boys and girls. How do you think people get to know each other in China, the UK, France or Germany? Silence absolutely no reply at all. So, I decided to give them a short questionnaire. The first question was what they dreamed about, the second, what theyd need to be completely happy in their lives and the third, who theyd like to look like.
«Hmm. I can tell you what they answered without hearing your results, Im afraid.»
«Really?», he was unpleasantly surprised.
«Of course. They need nothing and dont care. Youre going to attempt to change their path to a better life and to help change them.
«Er Sort of.»
«What I do understand, is that neither you nor I can do anything to change them. One or two will be okay by our reckoning; others will learn nothing, read nothing and do nothing but play games and waste time. So, theres nothing left for them to wish for or actually need. If they dont need education, books or to use their brains, it doesnt necessarily mean they need nothing. Mostly, they do what theyre asked to by parents or other adults. However, adults dont usually ask for anything, because theyre tired, so the only wish they have is to get some peace and quiet from the kids in the evening. So, if they dont need to wash, cook, scrub or dust as these functions are performed by consumer electronics, what could they wish for? Humans go back to being simple animals without having ambition.»
«Do you want me to list their ambitions?», he asked, sounding puzzled.
«No, not at all. Just give me the one thats common through all of them,» she asked it as quietly as when shed taught him many years ago.
«Hmm» he pondered, «Id say that its money all their ambitions surround having lots of money and having it could make their ambitions real. Ha! Thats all us adults think about too!», he added with a note of sarcasm in his voice.
«Youre right. I dare say that its become a universal requirement, hasnt it? Look, my feelings about money havent changed dramatically over the last twenty years but (!) now Im far happier when I receive money instead of a book or a box of chocolates from my pupils. Whether you admit it or not, it lets everyone buy their slice of the happiness pie.»
«I dont understand where youre going with this, Anna Ilyinishna, he sighed. «Im confused. I tried my best to teach them a better way, but Ive failed. It looks as if were from different planets, but none of them will succeed in business without a certain level of knowledge. They all dream about having money, without the responsibility of a job. Im beginning to sound like my grandparents sounded to me when I was a pupil. They never mentioned money though and you do. Do you really think that money is the root of all evil?»