There were once three immortal teachers named Failure, Mistake, and Consequence.

All students have met them, and all students have learned from them. Some have learned more than others, for these teachers are harsh and can be unforgiving. Because of this, some students are scared to learn from them again. They choose to study under another teacher named Comfort and never take the chance to meet these great teachers again. This new teacher feeds its students pride, which makes the students' weak in mind, body, and spirit. He also gives them a cloak called Excuse to cover the scars they received from the great teachers. Oftentimes, those from the school of Comfort will laugh at the scars covering their peers because they’ve become drunk off the pride they’ve been fed.

All elders remember the pain and suffering Failure, Mistake, and Consequence bring. Yet, some elders forget the lessons they learned from the teachers, exaggerate their time spent under them, and vow that we are better off without them. However, some elders embrace the scars from their lessons and view them as beauty. They can do this because they believe the scars made them the person they are today. The others believe the scars make them ugly, less than human, and wish they would just go away. Furthermore, some elders try to shield the students from the lessons of the great teachers because of their own former pain and broken dreams. As clever as these elders are, the teachers are even more so. They will always find a way to teach the students.

Do not lose hope, for there are some brave students who become warriors and spend their entire lives studying under these teachers. They are armed only with the weapons of an Open Mind, Resolve, Perseverance, and Purpose. If you come across these warriors, you have three choices: 1) You can choose to help them by offering support, love, and the stories behind your own scars. 2) You can choose to study instead under the teacher Comfort, which allows you to criticize and mock the students for learning from the great teachers, or 3) You can choose to reclaim your weapons, join them, and become a warrior yourself.

God bless you on your choice and on your journey, eternal vigilance.