I look on in dismay as the story of Manti Te’o’s
non-existent girlfriend unravels and now is being dissected with a level of
intensity that can only be explained by a collective defensiveness at having
been duped. Subsequently, questions about
who knew what, when and how drown out the one question that matters – Why?
I won’t pretend to have any insights into the particular
details of Manti Te’o’s story, but I can tell you that this one reminds me of
so many that I know from my past. As a
person who has worked closely with college-aged students my whole professional
life, I’ve seen a lot…
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There was the young girl who kidnapped herself
for a week
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A young man who demolished his own dorm room and
claimed it to be the work of a jealous past relationship
Ø
Another man who took a sledge hammer to his own car
and filed a crime report with the police
Ø
A young man who claimed to have inadvertently
witnessed a major drug deal and now was in fear for his life
Ø
A younger man who wrote pseudonymous love letters
to himself and left them out for others to discover
We – all of us – do a lot of “strange” things to try and
find meaning and “place” in our young adult lives. I have seen and been a part of lot of this, so
much so that I no longer find it all that strange. In fact, to the best of my knowledge, most of
these people have grown up to lead healthy and productive lives…. some of them
in places of great power, and responsibility. One thing for which I am grateful is that
these young people had the benefit of growing through these experiences beyond
the spotlight of our voyeuristic interest.
Manti Te’o is not just a news story. There are lives at stake here and I believe that,
if given the respect and compassion that every young person needs and
deserves, Manti Te’o’s life will turn out just fine.
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