Feeling Like Buddah

Okay, the title is presumptuous but here is how it goes: I chatted with a 14-year old going to public school. She is tiny, almost frail, but with a temper she cultivates. She was telling me about the time a gang beat her up at school. She was on the ground covering her head and they were hitting her. The beating stopped (no explanation), her friends helped her up, she ran off to hit a friend (?) who brought her to the infirmary where she got hugs (which seemed to satisfy her). And then she got revenge the next day. I am not sure if that was a turning point in her young life. She says she is doing much better in school these days, not getting punished and stuff. Her grades are up and her friends have said she keeps her temper in check. She added her dad sometimes gets really angry but her mom is afraid of her (she seemed to relish that). She tends to slam doors and hit the wall with her fists to get her anger out. Her father encourages her to sing when she's mad.

I am appalled that this is reality for the young. I think and think and feel powerless. I end up thinking/singing "All You Need is Love". This awakening of mine is late in coming. It is a result of my current work, where I come into contact with people of different walks of life. I feel sheltered, privileged, and that I owe the others. I need to be of service now. I need to figure out how.