Ym 1980 mi es i i'r pictiwrs yn Rhyl. Yr Astra oedd ei enw ar y pryd. Mi roeddwn i yn 14 mlwydd oed. Mi roeddwn newydd gael 'annus horribilis' yn 1979 felli mi roeddwn yn hogyn yn fy arddegau 'bregus iawn'. Ar ôl dod allan o weld y ffilm yr 'Elephant Man' mi roeddwn dan sioc. Doeddwn erioed wedi gweld ffilm fel hyn o'r blaen. Mi roedd wedi ysgwyd at fer fy esgyrn. Beth wnes i sylweddoli fod 'tosturi' a thosturiaethau' yn rhan annatod o fy nghyfansoddiad. Ddim yn beth dda i hogyn ifanc sylweddoli. Maes y merched oedd tosturi i fod ond fel tyfu yn oedolyn, sylweddoli na hap a damwain os oedd y rhinwedd yma yn perthyn i chi neu beidio, bod dyn neu ddynes.
Talcen caled oedd sylweddoli pa mor greulon oedd y byd ar bobol yn gallu bod. Darllen am yr Holocaust mewn llyfrau a'r disgrifiadau yn saernïo ei hunan mewn i'r isymwybod. Ond sut mae pobol yn gallu bod more glen a hapus meddyliais? Ffugio oedden nhw mae'n amlwg. Y wers ddysgais fel crwtyn ysgol oedd bod bobol yn greulon a natur ddynol yn hunanol. Mae'r meddylfryd yma wedi aros da fi ar hyd y blynyddoedd ac roedd hyn wedi amlygu ei hunan ar strydoedd Paris dydd Mercher diwethaf. Dwi'n cofio mynd i brynu'r llyfr 'The True History of the Elephant Man' ar ol gweld y ffilm. Doeddwn i ddim wedi cael digon o'r cyffur yma 'Tosturi'. Ar ôl fod yn blentyn ysgol ac ar ôl fod yn athro dwi yn ymwybodol o un peth. Yn y byd sydd ohoni mae rhaid i 'Tosturi' cael ei ddysgu. Mae digon o blant a phobol yn oddefgar ond dydy hyn ddim yn ddigon. Mae rhaid i ni ddysgu sut i fod yn 'Dosturiol'. Gwersi Tosturi bob wythnos, dangos y ffilm 'Yr Elephant Man' neu ei debyg. Allwn ni ddim gadael i siawns a ffawd cymryd gofal o feddyliau ein hieuenctid.
In 1980 I went to the pictures in Rhyl. The Astra was the name on the front at the time. I was 14 years of age. I'd had my own 'annus horribilis' in 1979 so I was considered and considered myself a 'fragile teenager'. After coming out of the cinema, I was shaking and in shock. I had never seen a film like this before. The realisation came upon me that I might be 'compassionate' but how do you keep something like that 'secret'. Compassion was for girls but as I became older and more cynical I realised that this personality trait was not in everyone. In fact it was a lottery whether you had it or not, or perhaps more importantly whether you showed it to the world or not. It was a tough life lesson to realise how cruel the world could be and how selfish people could be. There was one particular book in the school library that I returned to time after time, a book about the Holocaust. How could people be happy and kind? They must be acting, they must be pretending thought my teenage mind. This aspect of human nature played out its cruel and ruthless scenario on the streets of Paris this week. I went to buy the book 'The True History of the Elephant Man' after seeing the film. I couldn't get enough of the drug 'compassion'. Even though it wasn't something you could show to all people, it was something that you felt intuitively was correct. After being a school pupil and then experiencing life the other side of the desk I am now convinced more than ever that we need 'Lessons in Compassion'. Enough people are 'tolerant' but not enough are compassionate and it appears that it must be taught, that it isn't with you at birth. Unfortunately in such a brutal world we cannot leave the learning of compassion to chance or there will be none left.
No comments:
Post a Comment