Aung Khant Paing, Myanmar

“Youth Creating a Peaceful Future”

A future of eternal peace and harmony does sound like some blithe optimism
of a child, and maybe it is. But my parents have provided me with a life void of
stress and sorrow. And through them, I have internalized the notion that peace
comes from within your mind. In Theravada Buddhism, the Pali Canon tells us that
mastering one’s emotions ensures a peaceful mind, which ensures a peaceful
future. On the other hand, external factors like nutrition and social well-being are
also essential to provide a strong foundation to train the mind. With the advent of
AI technology and child prodigies like Kairan Quazi, there is no doubt that the
youth will play an inextricable role in designing a blueprint for world peace.
To realize a peaceful future, young people must learn the art of collaboration
and tolerance of mistakes. They must observe from different perspectives of a
problem and update their definition of what is right and wrong if necessary. No
other time in history has provided a better opportunity for an alliance of youths to
exchange ideas and strategies. The tools of this century like Zoom have allowed
youths from every corner of the globe to break the language barrier so easily that it
would’ve stunned our ancestors.
To go into detail, there is the physical environment in which children are
nurtured to develop the habits of embracing peace and the mental sanctum on
which they will have to rely on for the odds of life. For the physical environment, it
is of unparalleled significance for parents to paint a world of righteousness and
justice for their kids. Parents and children are inseparable in shaping the future of
their family. My parents have repeated the stories of their hardships. With each
repetition of their vivid history, I feel the beads of perspiration that ran through my
ancestors before and have unlocked a new chakra reserve of willpower. Just like
my tenet, I strongly contend that the urge to carry on the legacy of our parents
should be burning bright and red in every child’s veins. Illustration of this point is
in the hands of such good parents, who can be educated by World Organizations
such as the Goi Peace Foundation.
Next, we have school. I suggest raising students to be well-versed in history,
problem-solving, and debate. Thought-provoking questions like “What would you
have done if you were the leader of this city when this happened?” and teaching
 Aung Khant Paing, Myanmar

evidence-based arguing should be implemented. Most importantly, these projects

should aim to show the students of their subconscious biases and how to
consciously detect them. On a larger scale, international student exchanges should
be safely performed with students being informed prior about what to observe and
understand in the other country’s culture. The school-coordinated youth’s efforts to
promote peace should be published on the web to inspire further individuals to
pursue the same thing.
The last point I would like to bring up is religion. As booming technology
envelopes us all, I believe each and every one of us tends to forget about the pillars
of guidance offered to us by religion. Since this is true, especially for the youth,
they should be taught at a very early age what their religion stands for. This way
the lessons of the morality of religion will be ingrained in their hearts. This will
strengthen their resilience to life and consolidate their confidence.
To conclude, the youth possesses the purity of heart and willpower to uplift
their peers. With both physical and spiritual qualities in check, they will accurately
assess each other’s arguments and bring up a resolution. With the solid principles
of religion unifying their goals, there will be less division and hate among the
youth. With the knowledge of their parents and ancestors’ sacrifices, the feelings of
laziness and unworthiness will evaporate, unclogging the fog that prohibits them
from seeking the right path. With unity’s strength, I believe the youth will learn to
avoid developing biases on the other’s history and background to extend a hand of
friendship for the greater good of sustaining peace on planet Earth.