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Monday, March 21, 2005
Oledan: Seeds of the future
By Radzini Oledan
Slice of Life
"Sooner and later, they would either find themselves living out their full potentials or have their dreams crashed under the weight of lack of resources and support from their impoverished families, depressed communities and an uncaring government."
IT IS the innocence in the laughter of children, which never fails to touch our hearts.
I watched my daughter Riezel and other grade school pupils basking in their small and sweet successes, proud of their merits and distinctions, as they embrace and bid farewell to the years shared, memories and friendships forged probably to last them a lifetime.
They are the graduates.Each fully eager to journey to another phase, beaming with confidence and at the same time, apprehensive of what lies ahead.
They belong to the new generation who are entering a "brave new world" with its complex and extraordinary challenges.
Sooner or later, they would either find themselves living out their full potentials or have their dreams crashed under the weight of lack of resources and support from their impoverished families, depressed communities and an uncaring government.
These are realities on the ground.
- Where children are becoming the most vulnerable in an elite globalization that threatens to destroy nature and wipe out most of what we traditionally hold dear and sacrosanct.
- Where instead of a mutual understanding of cultures and identities, there is a clash of civilizations that only ensures never-ending strife and wars.
- Where debt repayment and procurement of arms and ammunitions jettison priority allocations for education, research and development, and such other basic services as health and shelter.
It is also the reality of increasing propensity towards violent and militarist solution to conflict rather negotiations and dialogue.
Could things be better off for the children?They are the children whose hopes and dreams can only take shape with a community that prioritizes their needs and development.Not with a lip service but real allocation of resources and drafting of comprehensive programs to ensure their development and participation.
The dreams of the children can only take place in a society, which embraces justness and respect not merely as a concept.
It is a community of equals, between adults and children, between women and men in the spirit of mutual respect and not blind subservience.
Important steps have to be made. One of them is to keep in mind the impact of all development endeavors on our children.
Just like the re-birth of nature, the blossoming of the flowers, the chirping of the birds, the re-awakening of life on a grand scale--it is also our collective decision to engage, take the bias for the children and bring forward the best we can for them. Nothing is expected less for the seeds of the future.
(March 21, 2005 issue)
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