In 2020, during the lockdown, I struggled with my own mental health. I knew I was not the only one, so I decided to send daily motivational quotes or extracts from lyrics into our Registration/group tutor channel on MS Teams.
All those quotes accidentally had a pattern based on current problems, so at the end of our last regular week of the term (which has been politically active), I decided to write a letter to my classmates explaining to them the accidental pattern and how I interpreted it.
I have now decided to make this letter public as I believe it is still of relevance. The quotes I have used can be seen below the letter.
Dear fellow classmates,
On Monday I wrote something about actions. On Tuesday I wrote a quote about time. On Wednesday I added quotes together and wrote something about “Tikkun Olam” (the Jewish concept about repairing the world, aka charity). Yesterday I quoted something, again about time. Was this an accident, in the most exhausting week we had with #blackouttuesdayand protests about racism, plus the anniversary of the Tienanmen Square Massacre yesterday? (History differs from nation to nation and the word ‘massacre’ has a clear bias. I do apologise in some kind of way). Last week there were protests about a new law in Hong Kong? No, It wasn´t.
Even though the circumstances might have gone in a way that is perfect to these statements as we had a test week I wanted to mention, that only we are responsible for what will happen in the future! Only we are able to make the difference. to stand up to show that we are here. Even though I, in some points, encourage the conservative ideology of change to conserve. Pragmatism has shown us that we have to change, as conservation only means to look at something that happened. Or, to say it in another way, I will quote a conversation I recently had with my old principal: “Josh why do you want to change something that worked for years. Yes, Mr Teacher, you might be right, but years ago the person who changed it had the same discussion. We saw the start of change, a peaceful way of change. Change is something we see all day, such as you can change your hair colour (sometimes more often than your hair actually is capable of ). You can change your opinion about people and in fact, you can change everything, and changes will continue to occur and have always occurred. Some things are fast and some are slow, but change is always a step into the future, a future we are responsible for. For example, we might have to change our way of studying, because we are sitting an exam, for example.
In one week, our term finishes. A term that has been completed online. A term which was embossed by change, by actions, by time, by ‘Tikkun Olam’. I wanted to write these words as we will not be able to hug each other next Friday and say: “Goodbye, see you, or what are your plans?”. I had a thought about all of the things when I did my 30-day Challenge and I wanted to say in my final words: First, congratulations if you reached the end. Second, feel you hugged feel you kissed feel you handshaked feel you nodded and thank you. Thank you for this year full of changes, full of good and bad things, and please conserve all the memories, either good or bad, as all memories and changes are worth the experience. Thank you for enduring me and my sometimes too political opinions! And thank you for following the governmental advice of the United Kingdom and the country you have chosen to get through these challenging times
Joshua David Heinrich
Leader of the Kings Bournemouth Student Council
Social Media Ambassador for Kings Bournemouth & Kings Education.
Monday quote:
“If you dream but not act you won´t reach anything. If you act but not dream you are able to reach something. If you dream and act you are able to reach the limitless.”- Joshua Heinrich
Tuesday quote:
“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.” ― Abraham Lincoln
Wednesday quote:
“I am prepared for the worst but hope for the best.” – Benjamin Disraeli
“Lend your ears to the deaf, your eyes to the blind, your hands to the weak, your tongue to the mute, your mind to the perplexed, and your heart to the weary.” ― Matshona Dhliwayo
“One of the hardest things in this world is to admit you are wrong. And nothing is more helpful in resolving a situation than its frank admission.”- Benjamin Disraeli
Thursday quote:
“Being honest the future was better in the past.” – Karl Valentin
Joshua Heinrich, Politics and International Relations, Year 1