Ideals For A Better Future

second assignment for my english class ;p

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These are indeed trying times for the Filipino but more so for the Filipino youth. It is not just a time of economic difficulties that can be remedied with enough effort backed up by determination, but also a time that tries the very moral fiber of our people. This is the real challenge of our times.

But how can the Filipino youth rise above the reality of moral decay when everywhere they look, there seems to be no one whom they can look up to? While we still have our heroes from Jose Rizal to Andres Bonifacio and their contemporaries down to Ninoy Aquino and the other unsung heroes of our generation – we, the youth want living examples of heroism. This is the kind of heroism that will lead us out of our present difficulties.

This is the heroism that we expect in our leaders who should lead us with patriotic models by upholding the national interest above personal ones. But the current reality is far from this ideal and definitely is a source of confusion for the Filipino youth. In the face of this confusion – should we sacrifice our youthful idealism on the altar of reality for it seems to be the practical way out?

For me, there is no need to do that because ideals – our noble aspirations for the betterment of our people, can be our guiding light through the dismal landscape of our present; a landscape peopled by an older generation who surrendered their own ideals for personal gain. Hopefully, the landscape of our future will be brighter – our ideals nourishing our youthful dreams into adult realities.