ASIAN JOURNEYS’ YOUTH PEACEMAKERS

March 10, 2009

Blessed are the Peacemakers
…for they shall be called children of God.  
The Gospel of Matthew 5:9
 
The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.  So said Thoreau.
Beneath the veneer of civility and calm of many a person, especially in the lonely urban space is a raging volcano waiting to erupt… ferociously. 
 
Bright students weighed down by the sheer pressure of expectation. Aspiring talents depressed and given to drunkenness like the proverbial Chinese pugilist with no cause to fight for except a breath of egoism.  Beautiful bright women who feel their given assets and fate deserve a better man, no matter if he were already married with a family. 

 

Tormented by unrequited love or unfulfilled expectations, or a wounded ego, many a human being lose sight of the preciousness of life and begin to see life as worthless as a colourful soap bubble floating in the air, weightless and buoyed by vapours, glistening for a while in the sunlight only to vanish with a splat, forever.        

 

Since life is worthless as a mere object, the taking of a life, whether another’s or one’s own counts for nought.  The rage leads to both the extremes of attack, assault, and merciless murder of another person on the one hand or the sad withdrawal of oneself from family and friends, to self-afflicted pain and then to the taking of one’s life in the ultimate act of cowardice…suicide.

 

It takes courage to be, as Paul Tillich pointed out in the last century.  The recovery of one’s sense of selfhood and appreciation of the preciousness of life, no matter how wretched or humble, will enable the human being to rise above the level of existence of an animal to stand tall and make the most of life itself.

 

This evening, my family payed for an elderly aunt and a younger dear brother both of whom have been stricken with cancer.  We pray that they will battle for life courageously, notwithstanding the fact that death awaits them, and us… finally. 

 

Pain is a great adversary, not death.  There is physical pain and then psychic pain.  Apparently the latter is more feared and many have backed to a corner where they finally took their own lives, unable to bear the psychic pain inflicted on them.  Financial and physical deprivation, including the loss of wealth and health, are incomparable to the sense of humiliation and hence the perceived loss of meaning of life or spirituality.
 
Spirituality or the ability to find the way to relate meaningfully within the realm of life, with the other, whether he is another person, or God, is a both an art as well as science, a gift to be received as well as skill which can be honed.  Both young and old can receive the gift of spirituality.  We can also seek to develop this ability to relate heart to heart, spirit to spirit, soul to soul. 
 

Hence we all need to learn this art as well as science of relating with the other, as Martin Buber, the philosopher put it, as a Person (a Subject) and not a Thing (an Object).   Treating the other as a person, as a human will enable oneself to behave more humanely as a human too, who is made in the image of God.

 

That’s why Eugene Peterson writes, “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.” 

 

When we have the courage to make peace, when we teach one another to live in community, collaborating amidst our conflicts and learning to accept and forgive one another, we help to realise our destiny as children of God.  We have developed the courage to be. 

By Lawrence Ko

 

 

 

 

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Asian Journeys’ RED DRAGONFLY Project

March 9, 2009

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT IN THE HEARTLANDS

 

Asian Journeys is pleased to acknowledge the support for the Red Dragonfly Project

from the Lee Foundation.

Challenging Youths in the Heartlands to

Dare to be Different…Dare to Dream…

 The ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Steve Jobs

 

 

 

v MENTORING YOUTHS

Youth peer mentoring

Adult mentoring

Self-Discovery Programmes: Dare to Dream

Self-Development Programmes: Dare to be Different

 

v DEVELOPING YOUTH VOLUNTEERS

The Spirit of Volunteerism

The Skills of the Effective Volunteer

Managing Time and Managing Projects

Local Service-Learning Projects

 

v NURTURING YOUTH LEADERS

Self-Leadership Skills

Team Leadership Skills

Lifelong Learning Skills…Learn what you want to learn

Effective Communication Skills…Speaking to Inspire

 

v PREPARING GLOBAL-READY YOUTHS

Overseas Service-Learning Projects

Global Issues Reflection

Discussions on National Issues in Global Contexts

International Volunteerism Network

 

For enquiries on participation as youth participants, youth and adult mentors or as partners in this project, please kindly email info@asianjourneys.org or call 96474904.

We welcome partnerships with schools, youth organisations and community clubs as we journey alongside with parents, educators and community leaders in nurturing the dreams and potential of every youth in the heartlands. 

Reaching youths in the heartlands. They’re worth our every while.

Come drop in for a visit.  Call 96474904 for an appointment.

Asian Journeys @ReservoirVillage,

Blk 743, Bedok Reservoir Road #02-3081, Singapore 470743.  

 

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