Heroic youth

From Robin Garcia, to Sajid Bulig, to Muelmar Magallanes, to Efren Peñaflorida, and many more like them. Filipino youth whose young lives are no less than heroic after the example of that young, incarnate hero, Jesus Christ.

A couple of months ago, I expressed in this column that our young Filipinos are the hope of our future. Divine Providence is revealing this to us. After that killer earthaquake in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija several years ago, our young student Robin saved the lives of his five schoolmates, went back into the darkness of their collapsed school building to save more, but was caught by an aftershock. A concrete slab hit him, and he later died in the hospital, with a smile on his face.

And then, there was our 13-year-old Sajid Bulig, a gifted swimmer, who saved six people from drowning during that pagoda tragedy in Bulacan. He made another attempt to save a seventh person, but was hit by a big wooden slab that led to his own death.

More recently, our 18-year-old construction worker, Muelmar Magallanes, evacuated his family at the height of the Ondoy floods in Bagong Silangan, Q. C., and kept going back to save other trapped neighbors from their rooftops, until he was able to save no less than thirty people. He then heard a woman crying for help with her baby. Exhausted and shivering, Muelmar still swam back to save the mother and her child. He succeeded in saving them, but afterwards was swept away by strong currents and perished.

You will recall that many other young Filipinos responded to the flood victims in relief and rehabilitation centers, motivated by compassion and generosity.

And now we have another outstanding young Filipino Efren Peñaflorida, who has been awarded as the CNN Hero of the Year for his “Kariton Klassroom” ministry in educating the poor, out-of-school children in depressed areas. He earns a living as a public school teacher, but continues to lead the Dynamic Teen Co. with about 10,000 members. His God-inspired conviction: “Each person has a hidden hero within. You just have to look inside you and search it in your heart, and be the hero to the next one in need.” Efren is appealing to our leaders who will run for public office this coming elections. “With power comes responsibility. Service should be done in all humility, not just for oneself or for a few, but to respond to the cry of society.”

Today’s Gospel teaching on love and social justice is the only way to really spend a meaningful Christmas, not only for 2009, but for the rest of our lives. “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” To tax collectors: “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” To soldiers: “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.” (From Lk. 3:10-18).

I have chosen to focus on our youth because there is a tendency nowadays to assess them as irresponsible, undisciplined, disrespectful to elders, uncaring, and self-centered. Well, externally and behaviorally, there may be some reason for saying this. But paradoxically, the deeper, inner self and potentials of the children and youth are often neglected, taken for granted, underdeveloped, and not appreciated enough. And drawing out the children’s positive qualities must start in the family.

A recent study by the psychologist, Ron Taffel, Ph.D., is very significant. His book is entitled Childhood Unbound: Saving Our Kids’ Best Selves. Although American, the study applies to our increasingly Westernized culture. A punchline conclusion is worth quoting: “These ‘impossible’ kids are often remarkably smart, confident, knowledgeable, competent, and more involved with ethical and social issues than my generation ever was, and almost always capable of stunning kindness and generosity.”

A major breakthrough in today’s family dynamics is when parents are able to accurately enter the world of their children and understand with the heart where they are really coming from, and the children feeling really understood. As the children experience this, they in turn will begin to understand where their parents are coming from. This mutual experience of empathy and compassion then moves to a meaningful dialogue, bringing out the best from both sides.

Human communication is really human when done face-to-face, eye-to-eye, combined with human touch, other forms of non-verbal communication, with an awareness of God’s presence. Families nowadays should be careful not to be addicted to screenworld communication. Too much time on the TV, computer, laptop, internet, and cellphone. More and more communication through the screenworld, and less and less human.

Balance, balance is the answer to our families who want to grow in love and social justice.