The families of the two people who were involved in the Dingli tragedy are in the age group where they can identify with what is to be written. Sting, a Geordie from another island nation far away in terms of distance (but remarkably close in terms of outlook and mentality), summed up a nightmare situation in a blend of jazz and ska that will be lost to the generations of today. As frontman of the Police, Sting sang the song Don’t stand so close to me. It is about the teacher’s infatuation with a student, and it goes something like this: “Young teacher, the subject of schoolgirl fantasy. She wants him so badly, knows what she wants to be. Inside her there’s longing, this girl’s an open page. Book marking – she’s so close now, this girl is half his age. Don’t stand, don’t stand so. Don’t stand so close to me”.

And in that last refrain, before the chorus, Sting hits it on the head. “Don’t stand so close to me”. Sting himself was a university lecturer, and no doubt drew on his experience to write the song. He draws a line and goes on in the song to relate that no matter how tempted (even on a platonic scale), he (or the character singing the song) drummed it into his own head that he had to stay away. As always in Malta, we live in a bubble. It took the tragic Dingli case to prove it.

Although no one can see it right now, Lisa Marie’s actions have lifted the lid on a series of issues that are affecting Maltese society and it is a pure reflection of what is going on elsewhere in the world. The first issue that comes to mind is the culture of darkness that is engulfing teenagers in Malta. The second issue that comes to mind is, how naive we are as a people and as a nation. The only reason why the issue of student-teacher relationships has come to the surface is that the Dingli case was such a tragic one for all concerned.

We, as a people, have ignored and swept under the carpet very real issues which we should have addressed, or at the very least acknowledged years ago. Teachers and students get involved intimately and sexually for years on end. We have merely decided to close an eye to it. But it is, of course, very different when minor students get involved (albeit clandestinely) with their teachers or lecturers. Only now, since this case has come out, are we starting to hear the whispers of trysts and affairs that take place. Who is to blame? The teacher.

Each and every time, it is the teacher or lecturer who is supposed to be a mature adult and know better. There is no disputing that and there is no excuse for anyone who falls for temptation, no matter how strong the pull is. But in all this, there is a lesson to be learned. No matter how holier than though we think we are, we are no different to any other people, we are after all human. We err and we must acknowledge the sordidness in our midst. It is part of our genetic make-up. It took a 15-year-old on a mission to teach us that. We should be ashamed of ourselves in brushing real and tangible issues under the carpet and not providing – at the very least – a safety net of acceptance, insomuch that these things happen and must be addressed. Families are still grieving on both sides, but history will judge and we are sure that Malta will be a more informed and mature place after this sorry incident. The most shameful part of it all is that Maltese society was not there for Lisa Marie in her moment of difficulty, and there are many more who feel the same as she did. We ignore it at our children’s peril. We should be there for them and we should help them learn life lessons, not vice-versa.