15
IN THE HANDS OF THE
blindsided Essay by Evan Dave Gajiran Digital Artwork by Cedrick Suarez
R
ecent events have led to a downward spiral of societal functioning as the economic and health sectors of the nation took a serious hit, especially for the rural units spread far and wide to accommodate Filipinos. Politics aside, as the government continues to disappoint the masses they swore to serve, the youth is becoming more aware of the political climate and the current state of beliefs in their own country. Despite words such as “youths are the future of this county,” why are their voices deemed to matter so little, just because they have not yet lived the years the naysayers have, that their voice is of immature rebellion, a sign of disrespect to conservative elders? Even then, they have stood their ground with the leverage of a platform called social media, have banded together and organized themselves to empower all of us without
discrimination, to give the gift of knowledge as they have been given, all with the energy and views that can no longer be seen by the old. They complain about the things that endanger their freedom, they criticize the actions done by leaders that have done and can do harm, and most importantly, they give. It is these organizations like Sinag Quezon and Coalition of Youth Catalysts, and even student government bodies of various colleges that collaborate with each other, which truly establish the impact that the involvement of youths have to society at large.
Despite the fact that a pandemic has imposed shackles on them, they still cope and adapt to a new environment readily, making use of widespread technology to further their causes out to other like-minded yet hidden personalities. They give aid to the impoverished through monetary or in-kind means while gaining the trust and support of the communities around them, providing entertainment alongside these donation drives to elicit a sense of comfort and relaxation in trying times, knowledge and awareness on topics long thought of as taboo or unnecessarily extra during older times, and ultimately, provide training to future leaders so that they may better serve their country and its people when the time comes for them to take the wheel. With an intense drive for change and to help the masses in various ways needed, not even the discrepancies in status bore a hindrance in the unity displayed by this energy, with a genuine concern for the future of society, for the betterment of the Filipinos, and as the bayanihan spirit continues to burn profusely within their hearts, unstoppable and bright as their forebears. In the end, it is the youth who will grow into the shoes of the leaders, of the laborers, of the parents of each one of us. All it takes is time until it is the youth’s turn to be the ones in charge of churning the gears of the machine of society. And by then, the future generations will take the helm of this movement we once waved.
