Why Should Youth Partnerships between South-East Asia and India Exist?

(This was an essay I passed for an international program which I unfortunately did not qualify for. That was a bummer. But oh well, might as well post this.)

"Never mind the fact that building international partnerships in itself is beneficial in various ways. And never mind that harnessing the relational capability of today's youth could lead to endless developments across the board, but encouraging a partnership between the youth sectors in India and the ASEAN specifically could be one of the most brilliant propositions to come about in  the realm of asian development. This thrust could not only help build bridges in the individual level, but it would mean creating strong, long-term connections on an international level.

Most people would brush it off as typical International Relations, and that it wouldn't be much different than creating bonds with other countries. But I personally beg to differ. 

How so? Three main reasons:

Firstly, there is an unspoken, over-arching camaraderie present between asian countries, especially those in East/South-East Asia. Not only do we have similar colonial pasts, which has imbued its fair share of intrinsic values towards the people of ASEAN and India, but our own cultures in itself hold high value towards similar things in life (i.e. Religion, Family, Honor). This means that off the bat, there is an existing kindredness between both parties. There is an already-existing brotherhood present even before we say our first hellos. These similarities are what brings us together despite the distance, and will all the more bind us when we put more effort into bridging that distance. 

Secondly, the differences that exist between these cultures actively compliment each other. The subtle nuances in our ways of life allow us to remind ourselves to keep our minds open to these differences. These, accompanied with the said similarities, helps create this dynamic relationship wherein one does not become too intimidated with the unfamiliarity to shun away any form of interaction, and does not become too familiar to not expect anything new from the relationship. This leads us not only to establish a brotherly connection, but a learning one as well. 

And finally, our present circumstances allow us to draw ourselves nearer to each other. Developing nations, all working together in finding ways to make lives easier for everyone. Countries just brimming with potential, sharing ideas that could change the course of modern history. This amount of fresh interaction and discourse can be at the very least, groundbreaking. And who best bring all these ideas together but the youth? The very ones that hold the potential. The very entity the future relies on. 

Regardless of however these countries may approach the interaction, the important part is that interaction DOES happen. That sharing WOULD be a reality. Because we can't really lose out on the opportunity to harness the youth resource we have. We are asian, after all. The melting pot of development and innovation. If this plan would be done right, and with the intended key-players actively involved, the future is not only bright in the national sense, but brilliant in the global perspective."

The Demise of Modern Man

Considering how we live in an ecosystem bursting with interdependence, it cannot be avoided that along with interdependent sociological processes, the development of social issues and problems become intertwined and causal. Some issues may be often the cause while some maybe the manifestation of the effects of the former. 

In some paradigms, man can be seen as the main perpetrator of all these social issues. While some say that although mankind has indeed given considerable contribution to the development of such social conflicts, the main reason why these issues progress into more tangible effects is the reaction (and the magnification of these reactions) of the environment and the receiving end of mankind to such instigations.

Let me put it this way, multinational corporations may keep on abusing the environment, but the fact still remains that as long as the international community patronizes the products of these companies, they still remain capable and still have the “need” to abuse the environment.

So with that, the rise of capitalistic mindsets bring forth an age wherein the need to help the status of our environment takes the backseat over the need for more profit and economic progress. With increased usage and marketing of natural resources, the influx of money increases. Such negative correlation is brought forth by the functionalist perspective.

And so, with the lessening of the environment, more and more people experience a decrease in nutrition and increase in poverty. With the loss of pure natural resources (which we all know, are the best sources of healthy living), the nutritional status of those affected become worse. They no longer have clean water to drink, nor do they have fresh air to breathe. They soon develop typhoid fever, tuberculosis, e. coli or whatever new epidemic we are having nowadays. What’s worse is that they no longer can afford proper medicine for their illnesses because they have no more resources to generate income on. They fall faster towards the depths of poverty. They lose the resources that give them good health and sufficient earnings.

And soon, after the grassroots become impoverished, the government soon experience setbacks. Their people are sick, poor and in need of their help. And they have little money to use, because the people that pay their taxes (which is apparently the lifeblood of the nation), can no longer pay as much as they used to, because they simply aren’t earning as much as they used to. The government then becomes lame and immobile.

And with the inability of the government to fix the basic problems of society, collateral damage is inflicted on other vital sectors of society. Gender and overpopulation issues are by far the sectors that receive the most damage. Overpopulation becomes affected in this because numerous legislations that bring about laws that uphold the rights of the family to choose their size and dynamics depend on how the government executes their passing and regulation. If we have a government that fails to function at its core, the implementation of these rights to a well-planned out family slowly descends into obscurity.

Same goes for gender issues. Numerous activist groups fight for more laws that enable women to live equally among men. But when the mindset of the populace is fixed on merely surviving on a day-to-day basis, these advocacies fall short of being heard and acted on. In fact, there may come a point in time wherein the public would see these groups as unnecessary extremists rather than much-needed advocates.

And so comes an inevitable option for some sectors in society: wade in water of blurred development or fight the system and make drastic change. Although most political analysts prefer to not do both choices and instead find a more proactive approach in changing society, this is rarely the case of today’s problematic societies. They would choose to become one of two things: terrorists or the terrorized. They either become the passive victims of shootings or the active shooters themselves.

It cannot be ignored that more and more separatist groups form under the premise that they are for change and development. And although one can see the nobility in their means, their Machiavellian approach to achieving change cannot quench the thirst for peaceful and harmonized progress. It will only lead to further destruction (to the environment, even) and ultimately perpetuate the cycle of regression our world is experiencing.

One problem clearly leads to another and another and another. And it’s very distressing. But what bothers me most is that mankind----despite numerous failures to base on----continually fails to tackle and defeat the issues at hand. They fight fire with fire. A problem with another problem. The highly-developed mind of modern man sadly cannot see that the fire they are fighting is the same fire that when controlled and handled correctly, can bring us the warmth and comfort of communal development.

Isaiah 40:28-31

Do you not know?

No I don’t. Know what?

  Have you not heard?

Why? What’s everybody talking about?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

He is? Well, good for Him. He’s everlasting.

The Creator of the ends of the earth.

He created all THIS? Even the BAD STUFF??

He will not grow tired or weary,

Of what? Ruining our lives??

    And his understanding no one can fathom.

Oh. Okay.

So wait a second. Let me get this straight. There’s this God that created EVERYTHING. And He’s almighty and powerful and all. And because of that, he can do whatever He wants.

And because He’s God, whatever His plans are, I’m not really in the position to judge Him for it?

Isn’t that kind of unfair for us?

 He gives strength to the weary

Oh. That’s nice of Him. But how does that make up for bossing us around, huh?

  And increases the power of the weak.

So he gives strength to the vulnerable? I’m confused. Why can’t He just give us paradise and let us be happy? Why go through so much for the same thing? I mean, he wants us to love Him, right?

Even youths grow tired and weary,

And young men stumble and fall;

Yes. WE ARE WEAK. I get it.

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

Oh. Okay. So… uh… It’s up to us?? It’s actually just our choice to LOVE you? To have HOPE in you? All we need to do is to CHOOSE to love you and YOU’LL do the rest? Will we have paradise then, yeah?

They will soar on wings like eagles;
They will run and not grow weary,

 They will walk and not be faint.

Okay. So maybe we won’t. Right away. But it’s quite amazing if you come to think of it. If you get out of your self-centered box of “me” for once, you can really see how this thing works. He MADE us. He GAVE us life. And yet, he gives us the chance to live it the way we choose to live it. 

WOW. Just… WOW.

But then we come barging into the picture, complaining about how unbearably tired we are. How weak we are. How oppressed we are. When in fact, all the energy, the love and the motivation we needed clamored for was with us the whole time. His faith strengthens us. His love nourishes us. His grace saves us. That was all what we needed to do. 

But no. We didn't do anything. We refused to open our eyes to it.

And because we have become so selfish, he actually had to send His son to DIE for us just so we could have the chance to see the truth again.

The God who made us, the God who had provided us, the God who gave us the freedom to live life to the fullest, had to BUY us from our weaknesses.  

WOW. Just… WOW.

And yet here we are, ignorant and angry.

And we never even bothered to know.

So, what do you think? Do we have conflicting beliefs? Tell me more about your opinions in the comments section. :)

Why I Just HATE Teachers (like these)

Please, before you grab your activism machete, read the whole thing. This is in NO WAY intended to undermine the teaching profession. In fact, I personally think teaching is a job for those who want humanity to survive----and are willing to do something about it. I WANT to be a teacher, myself. No really, I do. But as I graduate from college, I just can't pass up this opportunity to air out one of my BIGGEST frustrations with my stay in Silliman. I hope those teachers I implicitly refer to here will do mankind a favor and just STOP teaching.

Rant starts here:

What irks me more than lazy, whiny, stuck-up students are inefficient and incompetent teachers. Their mere status as the educator in the classroom obliges them to, at the very least, prepare something for his/her students in order for them to learn.

I say that again, LEARN.

Meaning, these have to be "new" topics, something they could reflect on, apply on, and pass on to others. Something they at least READ ABOUT.

 Well, you get my point.

They have the responsibility to be the most dedicated person in the classroom, not just because it's in the handbook, but because it’s his JOB AS A TEACHER to be followed by the students. He has the moral responsibility to be the academic and ethical role model of his students. He cannot afford to be just sitting there, studying his notes and mindlessly blabbering them out to his students. He needs to make that effort to be interesting and engaging. If the students remain to be apathetic and uninterested, then it wouldn’t be his problem anymore. He has done his obligation as an educator to the fullest extent. There is nothing more he can do. You cannot question the credibility of one who has done his job right.

Right? RIGHT??

It should also be noted, and noted well, that as a teacher, he ALSO has to act decently. He has to be the moral high ground. It does not matter if he drinks heavily outside the school walls (although it would be doubly nice if his students don't find him sprawling over his own vomit on a regular basis), just as long as when he’s in class, he retains that air of respect and decency. He cannot just insult his students “because he’s a teacher”. With every insult, he teaches aggression. He cannot act ludicrously towards his students and brush it off as playful jest. He has to distance himself from the student’s personal space most especially because he’s a teacher. He needs to be above them, academically AND morally.

So yeah. We want them FIRED. 

Rant finished.