By Jan Vicente B. Pekas
A country united can accomplish tremendous things. Going through a series of tragedies can bring any nation to her knees, but with togetherness each person helps the other stand up again. When Yolanda hit our nation, not only did the Filipinos but the whole world stood behind the us to support those affected and displaced.
If a nation is attacked through terrorism, the free world unites in solidarity with the victims and the country whose democratic ideals were attacked.
One of the famous images of a united world is the holding of the hands of different people from different races and backgrounds forming a circle above the earth.
When a nation goes through its elections, discord and divisions happen but these are issues that must be addressed by the current governing body. A true democratic society does that and soon everything would be back to normal.
Our nation is one that is not completely united. Having recently gone through an election of our own, scars are still left unhealed, and a bandage cannot hide these long enough.
To unite this nation with diverse cultures may be hard enough, but great people in the past had tried to do so against a common enemy. Now, the generation of this era must continue to take on current issues.
One of them would be the gap between the younger and older generation. With the advent of social media, the younger generation could never be more different from the previous ones.
The stigma concerning mental health continues to plague the youth and citizens of this country. While others may dispute that, it is indeed a very real issue that needs to be addressed. It is not an easy feat to reach out for help concerning mental health in this nation. But to get through this barricade, the older generation must not leave the youth alone in fending for themselves. Even if those in the previous generation are not fully bought about this whole mental health thing.
The wisdom from the past is not completely useless in this era dominated by social media. And those who can bring that knowledge can only be our elders. The youth cannot continue to tackle the issues of mental health all alone.
This nation rich in culture is not complete without our very own elders who pass on these treasured traditions. And when a social issue arises, a nation must take it on with its full weight. Not leaving anyone behind as it progresses into the future.
With the red hot blood of the youth running amok, accompanying it must be a calming blue to achieve balance into trekking in the unknown. When the past and present can hold each other hand in hand, then the blue and red flag can wave proudly under a bright yellow sun.**
