i want to plead youthful idealism -- IF I CAN
"I appear on a television talk show called Points of View. In 1999, on the anniversary of the 1986 EDSA Revolution, we did an episode on the decline of student activism. Our guests were college students who said they were not indifferent to what was happening in our country, but saw no point in getting involved...
They preferred to concentrate on their studies in order to prepare for their careers. 'I'd rather listen to my teacher because they know better. I'm just a student'
"Just a student?" I near threw a fit.
What happened to questioning authority?
What about changing the world -- or at least trying? I don't mean that youth should overthrow everyone over the age of nineteen, but they should challenge the status quo.
They should denounce the injustice, inequality, and oppression in the world, and strive to reform the system; they will be sucked into the system soon enough.
While they're young, they should dream of a better world, no matter how crazy this dream seems. After all, youth is the time of doing crazy things.Sure, you make a fool of yourself in the process, but you can plead youthful idealism. And then you would still have your entire life ahead of you."
Excerpt. "An Ex-Youth Looks at People Power 2 by Jessica Zafra. People Power 2: Lessons and Hopes. ABS-CBN Publishing, Inc. 2001