The April issue of the Torch was flying off the newsstands. At first glance, it seemed like something to celebrate, as if students were eager to read and engage. But discarded papers found near the empty stands all seemed to have one thing in common: an empty rectangle where a coupon had been cut out.
Some students had taken stacks of newspapers, cut out an advertisement from each one and then discarded the rest, leaving many without access to anything in the paper, including the ability to get a coupon for themselves.
The underlying issue was not the coupon itself. After all, it was there to be used. The problem was the greed of individuals taking more than what is fair and leaving others with none. A resource intended for everyone was treated as if it belonged to whomever could take the most, the fastest.
When individuals prioritize personal gain, resources that are meant to serve a community become limited. As soon as students took more than their share, they demonstrated a disregard for whether their peers got anything at all. This greedy behavior can spread quickly. Once a few people engage in it, others may feel justified to join in as well. Taking more than needed. Ignoring who comes next.
The day each issue is published, students are offered a copy of the paper as they walk into school. Stands make the paper available to staff, visitors and those who did not receive a copy. Whether they intended to or not, when students took advantage of the paper for their personal gain, they denied others in the community access to the benefits a paper provides.
Students need to be more conscious of how their actions impact others. The distribution of the paper, like many shared resources at our school, depends on mutual respect. Resources are made available to the entire student body with the expectation that each person will only take their fair share.
Individuals may not realize it in the moment, but normalizing greed or inconsiderate behavior can build and backfire over time. A healthy community revolves around shared access, basic respect and recognizing the individuals that will come after you. It rests on people choosing to act thoughtfully, even when it is tempting or convenient not to.