“There’s the way it ought to be, and there’s the way it is.”
This quotation is said by Sargeant Barnes in the film Platoon. This movie deservedly won a slew of awards including Best Picture and Best Director. The movie is full of great quotations that are applicable to teaching middle/high school students. This probably explains a lot. A while ago, I had read a text on Buddhist philosophy which stated that when our desire for the way things to be differ from the way it is, that is the root of anxiety. There are so many things that I would like to be different these days, and it’s difficult to remember to be open to accepting how things truly are. Of course, this doesn’t mean to give in or quit, but to accept the reality of the situation.