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Michael
Phillips
By
Sherwin Long
Champion cyclist Michael Phillips went out of his way on
Wednesday to demonstrate conflict resolution skills to a
teenage girl.
Speaking at San Juan Secondary Comprehensive’s packed
auditorium to students of the school and San Juan Government
Secondary, Phillips imparted advice to the vocal youngster.
On the topic of bullying, Phillips advised students not
to take matters into their own hands and instead contact
their teachers, principal or the police.
“What
if you go to your teachers, the principal or the police
and they don’t do anything?” the San Juan Secondary
Comprehensive student asked.
“Then
you might have to take matters into your own hands,”
she added.
“If
they can’t be saved that doesn’t mean you can’t
show them courtesy,” Phillips replied. “It is
never the smart thing to guff up and fight. It is best to
get away from (that).”
He advised the students always to find a peaceful way to
resolve conflict and related an experience of four-time
Olympic medallist Ato Boldon.
Philips said Boldon was driving his car one day and was
the recipient of a “bad drive.”
Phillips said Boldon blew his horn and the offending driver
slowed down.
When Boldon confronted the driver, the man drew a gun and
Ato drove off in a hurry.
Phillips, who is also an artist and Beacon Insurance’s
PRO, used this example to show how easily life could be
lost.
Apart from conflict resolution, he also gave his perspective
on life’s challenges such as peer pressure, drug abuse
and lack of self-confidence.
Commenting on drug use, Phillips said, “It is always
easier to say ‘yes’ than ‘no’ but consequences
of saying ‘yes’ are always higher.”
Phillips also warned the students about the pitfalls of
being free-spending consumers.
He said too much attention was paid to brand-name products.
Recalling the story of a man he saw buying a pair of $1,100
sneakers, Phillips said the purchase was a liability as
it lost its value from the first day it was worn.
He cautioned against this.
“His
entire identity was on his feet,” Phillips said.
“He
lost sight that his name is supposed to mean something.”
He urged the students to take pride in their names and to
start exercising character.
Phillips, who attended Mucurapo Junior Secondary, admitted
that he was still nervous when speaking publicly.
However, he said fear was something everyone had to overcome.
On the topic of public speaking, Phillips also instructed
students to speak proper “corporate” English as
it would help give them edge on the job market.
While ending his hour-long lecture, he said instead of citizens
only giving their views on what is going wrong they should
do something about the problems.
Phillips’ lecture to the students was part of the Guardian
in Education project’s Making a Difference school tour.
After his lecture, Salome Solomon of San Juan Government
Secondary and San Juan Secondary Comprehensive’s Melissa
Trim were presented with career handbooks for their school
libraries.
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