 |
Salvaterra de Magos Branch, Portugal / December 2008
- Contributor: Branch Master Jorge Monteiro |
Histories of Life
The Salvaterra de Magos Branch start a cycle of sessions aiming to provide the youngest kenshi with tales, told in the first person, which might help them to develop their values of courage, spiritual strength and sense of justice.
For that, we'll invite persons who as passed for serious difficulties during is live and overcome becoming successful people with solid values regarding to human live.
We dedicate this first session to the problem of drugs addiction. For that we invited Mr. Antonio Barbosa.
Mr. Antonio Barbosa is a 40 years old man, who as been addicted to drugs since he as 14 years old. He lost everything doing to his problem; is family, is friends, is home. He also follow a criminal trail until has 22 years old.
At that time he made the choice of is live, between drugs and death or, regain is dignity and social role. He join a program of rehabilitation, and after 2 years he decide to dedicate his live to help people who as the same problem he as had. At this moment he leads a community oriented for the recovering of people with the same problem. His community has 86% of success in is work.
This is the person that we invited.
The young kenshis and their parents follow in silence the words of this man when he told them that he's one of the few of is group who remains alive, when he picture them with images of poverty and loneliness and when he said gnow I'm a man againh.
Over more then an hour we cross the routes of drugs, guided for the hand of someone who knew it perfectly.
The children were told about how it begins with a simple cigarette, and the small course it takes to get to heroin and other drugs.
The parents were alerted to the attention they should give to small signals and indicators that requires their attention over their children, and the need to act immediately avoiding serious damages.
Our guest let perfectly clear in conclusion, that drug addiction is not an illness but a choice. A choice we have to make ourselves.
At the end, both young and old stand up and applauded this man, not only for what he has done with is live, but also for the courage of exposing himself in behalf of a better people and a better world.
The all branch certify him as a good man and with our gratitude.
Salvaterra de Magos, Sunday, December 07, 2008
TOP
