How does the devil get into the details of our lives? Leave God out, it is that simple. When the devil whispers in an ear, it is never sweet.
Dangerous ideas can be planted, watered and grow. The fruit produced may be poisonous. Apple? Anyone?
A dangerous thought, pondered, then acted upon can lead one from a loving life to pure hell. Script writers for soap operas must watch the news. As the story of my former coworker shows, who could even make that up? It was a surreal event. School violence episodes are surreal too. Chaos and new norms ensue as a result.
Even without an extreme episode in my professional and personal life, my idea to seek further help for my student led to other ideas by people with devilish intentions. My life trajectory was disrupted, but fortunately no chaos.
Ideas, because life is a bell curve, influence not only one's immediate environment, but can be felt globally. Hence, the expression, "Think globally, act locally." Impact versus influence.
Take a great idea and see the impact. Who does not love indoor plumbing? Convenience and sanitation all because someone connected dots!
Great ideas, meant to be good, can be turned around, misinterpreted, or manipulated to cause problems. My idea was hijacked.
Laws, passed for the greater good, can be oppressive. Well meaning advocacy can lead to the rights of others to be violated. Acts of charity may not be charitable at all, but, in reality, used to control others.
It does not take massive conspiracy theories in which an entire government is suspect for bad things to happen and create chaos. It only takes one bad idea. Apple? Anyone?
Schools, as we have seen in recent years, can become infamous because of one idea. I do believe that the IDEA has contributed to the increase in episodes in our schools and communities. The law, created in 1975, meant to help children, has been twisted and misinterpreted.
IDEA impacts every aspect of public education and beyond. Not familiar with IDEA, stay tuned.
Marian R. Carlino
May 30, 2026