The Mystery of the Poisoned Water Jug

Now it can be told…

A little over a month ago, 16 year old “J” lay on her sickbed at the National Kidney Transplant Institute wondering if she would even make it to the next day. Bubbly, active and full of life, she lay sullen, sad and uncertain of a once bright future that lay ahead of her. All because of a sick joke played on her by one of the brightest minds in her class.
“J” was not the first victim, mind you, she was the fourth, but the worst hit, in a string of poisoning cases that had been plaguing this high school for brilliant minds over the last few months. It was only when “J” was finally hovered between life and death, did the pieces of the puzzle finally fit.

“M” was her batchmate, a candidate for class Valedictorian, he followed closely on the heels of an older brother who had graduated class Valedictorian a few years back. Clearly, genius was in this family’s gene pool. “M” did not seem to be the type. Coming from a middle-class family, he seemed responsible, laid-back, and obviously, brilliant. He had a stable group of friends who were equally bright. They joined competitions in mathematics and science and easily won them. “M” had a wonderful future that lay ahead. In addition to garnering top honors at the esteemed high school in the land, he had also recently bagged a scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – mecca and holy ground for science and math geniuses and beautiful minds.

When all hell broke loose and “M” was finally caught, he confessed to nothing. One of his teachers told me that when she spoke to him, he vehemently denied everything and initially she believed him. “Hindi mo talaga iispin na ginawa niya yun.” Was it fear then, that motivated “M” to lie? Or was he, in fact, so convinced that he did nothing wrong? Worse, was this genius, a pathological liar? I choose to think that there is something deep in “M”’s mind that needs to be healed. Perhaps his being too cerebral has caused a disconnect somewhere between his mind and heart. “Innocent until proven guilty.” True. But even his best friends have testified. Would you turn in your best friend? The witnesses were some of his closest friends. Friendship and loyalty is very BIG to a 16 and 17 year old. Pardon the pun, “Magkamatayan na.” But they will never squeal on each other’s secrets. Eto na nga, muntik na ngang may mamatay.

Then there is the minor issue of public health. Why on earth do the students at this science high school drink from one another’s jugs? Isn’t public health and hygiene taught in the basic science courses? Yes, I’m all for camaraderie, sisterhood and brotherhood but I think sharing a water jug is pushing it a bit too far. Apparently, according to my sources, this is a common practice at this school. Certain jugs left around are known to be communal – free for all. The idea is just a bit too difficult for me too fathom. Would you share your toothbrush? I think not.

Hopefully, the authorities will get to the real truth and justice will be served. “J” has had close to a dozen sessions of dialysis and continues to be on very expensive medication. It’s a good point that the school has raised money for her medication. On a deeper level, there is the trauma that she needs to heal from. “M” on the one hand, to my view, needs SERIOUS psychological counseling. More than throwing him in the slammer, what is more crucial here would be to probe his mind and person for the motivations that lead him to do such an act – not only once, but four times. The human spirit is resilient but will our justice system spend for counselling? If he is indeed guilty, to my mind, there would be more justice in placing "M" in a strict counselling/rehab program (much like what Nora Aunor went through in L.A.) until he reaches the age of 21.

Many studies have shown that there is often a huge discrepancy between the IQ’s of the very brilliant and their EQ’s. I am not generalizing but I have had personal encounters with many of these people. Their brilliance shines unbelievably in their chosen fields – business, banking, law, medicine etc… but sadly, their emotional quotients and lives are in a very sorry state. Often, their EQ’s are inversely proportional to their IQ’s. There is a lesson to be learned here – for parents and educators especially. It’s not all about academics, the child has to have a rich and discerning emotional life as well that grows at the same pace as his intellect. The size of one’s brain should grown in direct proportion to the size of one’s heart and spirit. Beautiful minds need to go hand in hand with beautiful hearts as well.

For the frontpage story on “Poisoning shocks best, brightest in science high school” please view : http://news.inq7.net/metro/index.php?index=1&story_id=71838

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