Rohan was an intelligent and smart boy, all of thirteen years of age. He was cute and good-looking and he loved going to school and playing soccer with his friends. He had a best friend and a few other good friends and on the whole he loved life and school in general. He had a loving family with a loving sister and caring parents.
Despite all these good things in his life there was a very significant fault in his basic nature that stopped him to grow in a healthy fashion. He had an unknown fear of what would happen to him in the future if did not act in the required manner in the present. Supposing he did not complete his homework due to some reason then he would be gripped with the fear, that what would the teacher tell him when she discovers his lapse. Another instance is the fear of non-acceptance among his friends or being ridiculed by his friends. He had always been a very timid and shy child and at the same time his inherent innocence made him more vulnerable to peer pressure and needless ridicule.
Rohan’s mother was very well aware of Rohan’s fears and was always trying to chat in a friendly manner and make him fight with his fears of his teachers and the fear of non acceptance at school, but no matter what Rohan was not able to overcome his fears and lead a tension free life.
Life was going on at its normal humdrum pace and things were very smooth at Rohan’s end, till one fine day when life totally changed for him and he started looking at it with a totally different perspective. It was a Friday and Rohan was playing soccer with his close friend Manav after school hours in the school play ground. Both the kids were waiting for their cars to arrive and pick them up from school. Both the boys were having a blast playing the game and were thoroughly enjoying it and having a great time, when suddenly while kicking the ball Manav kicked the ball a bit too hard and slipped and fell on the edge of the football ground. While falling Manav hit the brick lining of the ground and smashed his forehead in the process. Due to the sudden fall and the hit on the head he fell unconscious on the ground. Rohan was shocked to see his friend fall on the ground and rushed towards him and found him unconscious and bleeding profusely from the forehead, as he had probably banged his head on the brick lining. Rohan was initially at a loss as to what he should do in this condition but he acted on a sudden impulse and immediately called out to his soccer coach who was sitting in the sports room, a little away from the ground. The coach heard the shout and came running and when he came to terms with the emergency he quickly called the nurse from the medical room and Manav was taken to the medical room where he was given the initial first aid, but as the wound was quite serious there a lot of bleeding, so the nurse suggested that child be rushed to a nearby hospital.
Meanwhile, Rohan acted fast and quickly called his car driver and Manav’s driver and told them to fetch their mothers from their homes and bring them to the hospital. Rohan also went with the medical team of the school to the hospital and was by the side of Manav all the while and when he became conscious and was being given stitches, Rohan held his hand and comforted and helped him to endure the pain. It is commendable that such a young boy did not panic at the time of crisis and took the required measures, like calling Manav’s mother on time to the hospital and then being by Manav’s side at the time when he needed him the most. Such patience and such a quick presence of mind of Rohan showed how strong and brave Rohan was as a person and how he could tackle emergencies in way, of which he himself was not aware.
The next day when Rohan went to school he was welcomed with claps and applause and a lot of praise by his classmates and teachers. He got the praise from the same teachers of whom he was so afraid and he got applause from the same friends whose supposed non-acceptance always bothered him. He was surprised and extremely glad when he got all this praise for something, which he did out of fellow brotherhood and sense of humanity. He did not help his friend for getting all this praise and the after effect of this incident was a very pleasant one. Rohan was now free of the fear of the teachers and his peers as he saw them in a different and extremely positive light.
Now life was even more enjoyable for him as he was now a hero among his friends and had gained a lot of favor of his teachers as well. Through all this he learned that fear of anything no matter how deep rooted it is, is not good as it not only harms the psyche but also makes a person less confident and weak in the heart. Henceforth he promised himself not to have unnecessary fears which would have a crippling effect on his life.
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