The Elderly and the Youth and Our Nation’s Future

Pope Francis has repeatedly emphasized what he said during World Youth Day in Brazil that the bright and healthy future of the world depends on a balanced and creative collaboration between the elderly and the young of this generation and the next. Balance and creativity springs from the wisdom of the old and the energies of the young.

This combination of the young and the not so young is being developed between the youth and the senior citizen in the National Transformation Council and the students around the country. In a previous column I made a report of the significant meeting of hundreds of students of the University of Mindanao and the former Secretary of National Defense Norberto B. Gonzales. Issues of national concerns were the subject of their discussion.

Most the socially aware young people are glued to the social media. But this seems like private, individual, single form of activity. There is communication but no coordination. Unity, bonding, harmony are needed for the youth to be a strong agent for change. This is where the guidance of the elderly comes to be a significant factor. This is being promoted by the National Transformation Council.