Jason's Story
Copyright© 2025 by writer 406
Chapter 18
The next afternoon, Jason arrived at detention expecting the usual fifteen suspects. Instead, twenty-two kids filed in. He looked at his list of offenders. The extra kids weren’t on it.
“I’ve got my list of the usual hardened rule breakers and criminal types here, and you guys aren’t on it. Have you all seen the light and come to confess your sins?”
The kids laughed.
“Mr. Stone,” called out Mark, “this is Debbie, my girlfriend. I told her about surviving in Atlanta. She wants to know what happens next.”
“What do you mean, what happens next?”
“Like, you survive the first 48 hours,” Debbie said. “Then what? How do you get from just surviving to building a life?”
Sarah Thompson, never one to stay quiet, jumped in. “Yeah, my mom asked me what I learned in school. When I told her about finding day labor and safe places to sleep, she was like, ‘Okay, but how do you get from sleeping in libraries to having your own apartment?’”
Jason looked around the room. These weren’t kids asking about hypothetical survival anymore; they were asking about the transition from crisis to stability, from surviving to thriving.
“Okay that’s an interesting question,” he said, settling into the circle. “Let’s talk about it. What’s the difference between surviving and flourishing?” He looked around the room at the mix of faces—his question hung in the air. He could see genuine curiosity in their eyes.
“What’s the difference between surviving and flourishing?” he repeated, moving to the whiteboard. “Let’s start with definitions. Mark, when I say ‘surviving,’ what comes to mind?”
He thought for a moment. “Like ... not dying? Getting through each day?”
“Good start. Anyone else?”
“Meeting your basic needs,” added Carmen. “Food, shelter, staying safe.”
“Staying warm,” said Tyler.
Jason wrote SURVIVING on the left side of the board, listing their responses underneath:
Not dying
Meeting basic needs
Getting through each day
Staying warm
Getting food
“Now flourishing,” he said, turning to face them. “Sarah, when your mom asked about moving from shelters and libraries to an apartment, what was she really asking about?”
Sarah’s brow furrowed as she thought. “She was asking about ... making a life? Like, not just getting by, but actually improving your situation?”
“Exactly. Anyone else? What does flourishing feel like?”
Devon raised his hand. “Having choices. Like, not being stuck.”
“Growing,” said Ashley. “Getting better at stuff, moving forward.”
“Being able to help other people,” added Maria. “Instead of just needing help all the time.”
Jason wrote FLOURISHING on the right side:
Making a life
Having choices
Growing/improving
Moving forward
Being able to help others
He stepped back and looked at both lists. “Good. Now here’s the really interesting question: what’s the difference in how you think and make decisions in each mode?”
The room went quiet as students considered this.
“When you’re surviving,” Jason hinted, “how do you think about time? About the future?”
“You don’t,” said Mark immediately. “You’re just thinking about the next hour or the day, maybe tomorrow.”
“Right. Surviving is reactive thinking. Something happens, you respond. Crisis mode.” Jason drew a short arrow under SURVIVING. “You’re focused on immediate problems, short-term solutions. Much like a drug addict thinks about getting his next hit.”
He turned to the FLOURISHING side. “But when you’re flourishing, how is your thinking different?”
“You can plan ahead?” suggested Carmen.
“You can think about what you want, not just what you need,” added Sarah.
Jason drew a much longer arrow under FLOURISHING. “Exactly. Flourishing is proactive thinking. Long-term planning. Strategic decision-making.”
He moved to the center of the board and wrote TIME HORIZON.
“This might be the biggest difference. When you’re surviving, your time horizon is hours and days. When you’re flourishing, your time horizon is months, years, even decades.”
Devon leaned forward. “So like, if you’re homeless and hungry, you’re thinking about where to sleep tonight. But if you have a roof over your head and a full stomach, you can think about where you want to be next year?”
“Perfect example, Devon. Now let’s get specific.” Jason erased part of the board.
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.