When I was in school we were told that our National Hero,
Dr. Jose Rizal was quoted to have said “The youth is the hope of our
nation.” With the wisdom of such a man, he can never be wrong since he must
have based this on his experience in how he and his peers were raised and
taught to face their obstacles and also how to handle their successes in life.
Looking now on what is happening and how the youth is behaving to drugs and
exhibiting mischievous practices, could these change our belief really that the
youth is the hope of our nation? Maybe there is no statistics that could
measure the percentage of misbehaving youth against those who are behaving
properly; but I still believe that despite the various influences that the
youth is subjected to, majority of the youth are properly raised and educated
by their parents and teachers. Clearly, it is the family and school as well as
his peers that shape the child to succeed in life.
Training begins at a young age.
Right behavior is rewarded but misbehaving is not tolerated. Failure to do a
task does not mean you cannot do it right. Acceptance of the truth though is a
must. Continuous practice means improving ones reflexes and thinking until it
becomes automatic. With the right principles and values, a child can never run
astray. Good influence and the right environment with loving people around
makes a child trusting and a giver of love to another person. The world at
times is a tough world to live in and the child should be supported and guided
at each moments he faces the harsh world to keep him/her strong and brave. A
child is like an investment that could someday prove that the youth is truly
the hope of our nation.
