The Power of the Youth
I believe in the power of the youth. I believe that the words uttered by our forefathers are still true- that the youth of this country is its future and its ultimate strength. I have seen it, I felt it, I experienced it. I have always stood by the fact that our treasures are not the numbers in a book or the white sands and beautiful flora around us but, our power is in the voices of these young ones who have been fighting to survive in this land. The Filipino Youth is a diamond in the rough. We can't deny that our past is never a clear bright sky. It was filled by thunderclouds and storms. Our day to day lives are challenged by poverty, political instability and poor educational system. Our country has always been an oligarchy hidden in a democracy wherein only a few people matters. Yet despite all these, we survived. We have turned the tables around. We, the youth, learned not to ask the country what it can do for us but instead we do these small steps to help this country. We are trained to self-suffice, to sacrifice, to learn from the streets, to take care of our brothers and sisters when our parents are busy looking for jobs. We even work at a very young age. Our hunger is our fuel, our thirst is our sweat. We keep the world turning despite the disasters nature has brought to us. We know how to smile when a camera strikes despite losing our loved ones from a roaring typhoon. We know how to smile in solace.
The Power of the Youth has always been there. We just don't see it in plain sight. We just don't recognize it when we come across it. We even deny it. We are accustomed to the old ways – when those who have stayed longer are placed in pedestal of righteousness, when all who are new are voiceless. Yes, it may still be true but not in its entirety. I was lucky enough to meet several young Filipinos who have created their niche in this society. They just didn't find their niche but they made it. They are the trailblazer. They destroyed the norms the old society introduced them to. They made a difference.
Let me go back six years ago, the year when everything changed for me. I was back then a simple student in a university in the Visayas. I can recall how different my motivations were. I was more concerned about gathering recognitions and increasing my pride. Yes, I was in the student publication and other organizations but they are just for the title. I have always been insecure. Given my drive to be on a pedestal always, I was invited for the Ayala Young Leaders COngress - My defining moment. I never realized that it is really possible to have a change of heart in a very short period of time. There, I saw where I stand. I stand in the crossroads of a country who pleads for help from its people. A country that has been ripped off with its pride, left by its people and destroyed by its children. The words of Grace Padaca, the former Governor of Isabela, resounded in my head when she said that The Philippines is like a dysfunctional family – everything is in chaos, but what struck me more are words that came next. She said, If your family is dysfunctional, will you just leave it? Would you not fix it?
My bones and soul shattered in one. I know I have done nothing to fix my country. I was busy doing stuff for myself. I was busy covering myself with pride and selfishness. I forgot that there is a whole wide world around me – a country that never failed to believe in its people; a country that waits for its new generation to bring back its glory.
From then on, I dedicated my life to developing the youth. A lot of people have asked me for my calling. It is very simple. It is to serve the youth. It is to make our new generation realize that they are the change they have been preaching. They are the power they are talking about. They are really the future of this country. For years, I have talked, trained and played with the young ones. I have instilled in them the mindset that we do not need the great big leaps to change the world. We just need them to do small good steps to create a spark, a ripple, a statement. These will find its way to the world and collectively we can change it all together.
The challenge is now at hand. As we move closer to the moment when we will decide our fate again as a country, let us also move together in developing our young generation. It is our task as their default mentors to make them see their place in this country. Our power lies in our youth. Gone are the days when power is on the streets. Gone are the days when power is in the palace. Gone are the days when power is the words of the politicians. The power of the New Philippines is in the generation of today. The power of the youth is our greatest strength. The power of the youth is unstoppable.
No comments:
Post a Comment