Grindles are very wise

Grindles understand that it is not easy for a young person to pass through that period between childhood and adulthood , and if a teenager isn't careful, he or she just grows up to be an older kid. When Lindal, the daughter of Lab Director Hacker and her friend, Melvin, made their strange journey to Chaladon that was written about in our first report called, Chaladon, First Contact, they met a young Celadonian boy called Brindal. The three of them visited a Grindle family, and before they departed, wise old Thandor gave them some good advice

Before the kids climbed into the boodle wagon, Thandor invited them to sit with him for a minute in the shade beneath a huge tree by the side of the house. In his deep and rumbly, but very kind voice, he asked Tik’s mother to bring them cool mugs of Beaner juice, and when he ordered Tik into the house to "help his mother," they quickly guessed he had something important to say. They guessed right.

His huge brown eyes stared into each of theirs and fastened them in their places as if he had nailed them to the ground. There was no thought of fidgeting, and when he started talking in that growly dark voice, he had their full and undivided attention.

"I’ve been watching you all morning and I’ve learned that inside each one of you beats a heart that is good and kind. You’re young and sometimes foolish, but that’s because you’re children and children have the right to act silly. Just look at young Tik if you need proof of that," he chuckled.

"All three of you have reached that age, however, when you must start the difficult journey that will take you from the land of childhood into the land of adulthood. Believe me, when I say the trip is not easy. There are moral temptations that might lead you astray and cause big problems, but I won't talk about those because I can see inside your hearts. Your mothers have already done a fine job teaching you the difference between right and wrong and how to behave properly around older people."

"Instead, I want to talk about bravery. Most people don't want to think about this word, let alone talk about it, because bravery is something that takes place in the face of danger, sometimes physical and sometimes moral. In my experience, mothers especially don't want to think about their children in some sort of dangerous situation, and so they feel safer not thinking about it at all."

"But dangers there will be, perhaps not actual physical danger like bears or Squeezers, but certainly there will be moral problems that present you with difficult choices, and it is time to start thinking what you will do when they come. Believe me children, the older you get, the more chances you will have to be cowardly or brave, and if you choose to be a coward, you will never grow up to become an adult. Cowards, whether they are physical cowards or moral cowards, just grow up to become older children."

"I can read your faces, dear children, and I see you are not very thrilled about this talk about danger and bravery. At your age it all seems so confusing. Here is some advice that will make it a little less complicated. Think of bravery as having the courage to do whatever is necessary, — and let your heart tell you what is necessary. If you will always remember this simple rule, you will grow up to be the strong and self-confident adult your parents will be proud of."

"Excuse me, Mr. Thandor," said Lindal nervously, "but what happens if there isn't any danger? Back where I come from, — er I mean, what happens if there aren't any Squeezers or wolves around? If there isn't any danger, does that mean I won't ever grow up to be an adult?"

"Good point, Lindal, but believe me, even without physical danger there is moral danger everywhere. Take bullies, for example. Remember in school, when some boys were picking on another kid, mainly because he was different? Maybe he was smaller or had a different skin color or didn't talk the same as everybody else. Maybe he was a boy who likes to play with dolls instead of sticks or balls. Or maybe it was a group of girls who use words instead of fists to make another girl feel unwanted. How did you feel about that?"

"Well, — I didn't feel very good, I mean, — it just didn't seem fair, — he hadn't done anything and they were going to beat up on him."

"Exactly, and way down deep in your heart you knew that wasn't right. You could see very clearly a moral injustice in progress and you felt badly about it. Now, Lindal, please be very honest with me, — what did you do about it?"

"Nothing, I mean, — what could I do? There were six of them. It wouldn't have made any difference if it were six against one or six against two, so there wasn't any point in both of us getting beat up.

"In other words, there was danger," said Thandor. "And there was a choice between acting bravely and being a coward."

"Mister Thandor, are you saying I won't grow up unless I let a bunch of bullies beat me up? Being brave is fine, but what about choosing between stupid and smart?"

Thandor sighed deeply, but his eyes twinkled as he replied in a voice just a little more astonished than sarcastic, "so now, Lindal, when you are confronted by moral evil, you are saying the choice is between bravery and stupidity?"

Not wanting to say "yes," she just blushed and quietly muttered, "you know what I mean."

"Well, just for the fun of it, let's pretend I don't know what you mean," he replied with a mischievous smile. "What do you boys think?"

"Lindal is absolutely right," chirped up Brindal, "too bad the kid is getting picked on, but getting mixed up in it just makes more trouble."

"What if you were the kid getting picked on," Thandor solemnly rumbled, his huge eyes flashing with just a little bit of a menacing look.

Poor Brindal, all he could do was stand there in embarrassment, his mouth opening and closing like a fish in an aquarium without any sound coming out. Melvin quickly spoke up in order to save his friend further embarrassment.

"Well, not doing anything might not be the right answer, but I think the smartest thing is to tell a teacher so he will come and stop the fight."

"Ah yes, my smart young friend, let someone else solve the problem," replied Thandor with a friendly rumble deep in his throat. Melvin felt a little proud for thinking of a compromise, but not for long. Thandor suddenly turned towards Melvin, spearing him straight in the heart with those piercing dark eyes, the friendly rumble suddenly not so friendly, "of course that postpones the problem until later, when teachers are not around. And of course you will not be around either so you will not have to choose at all. Are you sure THAT is what you meant by the smartest thing to do?" Now it was Melvin's turn to imitate an aquarium fish.

Believe me, there are no easy answers, but one thing is clear, whether you will grow up to become an adult or just become an older child, very much depends on what you do. Ignore moral evil or injustice, run away from it, or leave it to somebody else, — well, — perhaps you are not yet ready to grow up. BUT, — bravely face the problem and, little by little, you will become an adult."

"Dear children, I didn't mean to embarrass you, but such things happen all the time. It is a wicked, moral evil for the stronger to take advantage of the weaker, and when we meet these situations, we are faced by a moral dilemma. What should we do about it?"

He left the question hanging in the air as his eyes darted from one to the other, spearing straight through to the heart of each in turn. Finally, he turned to Brindle and said in a grave voice, "Brindal, when your father was only thirteen, he came upon four older boys who were beating up on a much smaller boy. He challenged all of the bullies and got a black eye and a bloody nose for his reward. Now, master Brindal, ask yourself how your father felt afterwards: Stronger or weaker? More self confident or less? More of a man or more of a boy? I think you know the answer. That day, your father started growing up, slowly changing from a boy to a man. He always confronted injustice head on, sometimes with more bravery than good sense, doing what his heart said was necessary, and today, he is one of the most respected men of Celadonia. It all started that day when he found enough bravery to listen to his heart instead of his head."

"You mean if I want to grow up I have to get beat up," asked Melvin incredulously. "My mom has told me a thousand times there is never an excuse to get physical, — that fighting is never right."

"And she is mostly right," sighed Thandor, "but I think she would also say you should stand up against injustice. Seems contradictory, doesn't it, and as you get older, you will learn that life gets more complicated all the time. Sometimes, it's very confusing. That's why I gave you the simple test to decide what is right. Remember? — Always do whatever is necessary and always listen to what your heart tells you is necessary."

And then, with a big wink, Thandor turned and said gently, "incidentally, Melvin, I think you will be quite surprised at the bravery of bullies. Actually, they are the biggest cowards in the world. Mostly, they run away like those silly wolves did."

"One last thing, dear young friends, please remember old Thandor and don't forget our little talk. I certainly won't forget you and in fact I'm going to follow your progress. Those little Twiddle Dee birds over there are my friends. I'm going to ask them to keep an eye on you and give me regular reports on your progress. You go along home now, and good luck on your very difficult, but very interesting journey over the next few years."

And with that they climbed into the boodle wagon and started back to the Bragon farm. They all were silent as each thought about Thandor's words. Melvin especially was thoughtful. "Yeah, maybe Thandor is right. Inside, I DO know what's necessary. I just need to 'stand up' to my brothers,— and my dad. All of them are who they are, and that's fine, but I'll be who I want to be."

Lindal also felt a little troubled. "Throwing Beaner pits at the boys —- was that 'kid silly,' or was that something I needed to do," she wondered. "I like boys a lot, but sometimes it's necessary to stand up for your rights. After all, who gave them the right to spit seeds in my hair? Those boys are just a couple of smarty-pants."

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