Life is a journey made up of different stages, and when you’re in your 20’s, you are at the point of opening up to wider horizons, of dreaming and embracing high ideals, of realizing your own independence and identity…
but it’s also the moment where you must try to achieve certain goals, to acquire stability, and begin showing concern for others. At every stage, we need dreams and ideals to illuminate our paths; but we fulfil ourselves only by putting into practice what we’ve understood, by building up true relationships, and taking care of others, etc.
Even as we dream now, it’s necessary to do something concrete. Then, even in the later stages of life, one mustn’t stop dreaming.
In your relationship with your father, he’ll remind you of the first aspect, i.e., to be concrete, and you’ll remind him of the need to keep on dreaming. According to a research in the US, many teens dream of getting a good education, finding jobs they’ll love, getting married, and having families, but many are also concerned about not being able to realize those dreams.
It’s easy to assume that teenagers don’t listen to their parents. But the latest All State/National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll on childhood in America reports that when it comes to expectations about school, kids are listening loud and clear—even through their ear buds. They seem to be paying attention when adults talk about tough economic times and are aware of the rising expenses associated with college.
A recent Gallup Youth Survey was made on teens regarding their life goals and career aspirations, and inquired specifically about their plans after high school. Teens understand that while higher education is no firm guarantee of success, it is one key to landing a job they will enjoy and find fulfilling.
Teens will always nurture admirable dreams, but in economically tenuous times, they tend to be realists as well (Lyons, 2004; National Journal 2013). In his recent encyclical Laudato Si, Pope Francis underlined that “reality” is greater than ideas.
What does this expression suggest? Certainly not that we should not come up with thoughts and ideas, but that these ideas become real and verifiable only when they are implemented. I remember that at your age, we were just as idealistic–especially about our dream to solve the problem of poverty around us–when we were challenged to start a social center in a nearby slum area.
Armed with nothing but youthful enthusiasm and our dreams, we said yes. We were all students with no financial means then, so we turned to our “elders,” who, emboldened by our drive and courage, generously provided us with funds, volunteer doctors and expertise, while we supplied the muscle and hustle, turning an old, abandoned warehouse into a social center to provide healthcare, as well as nutritional and livelihood projects for the people around us.
Working closely together, we turned that dream into reality in the Bukas Palad Social Center which, aside from its headquarters in Tramo, Pasay, now also has branches in Tagaytay City, La Union, Cebu and Davao.
Dreams and reality go hand in hand and what better way to show this to the world than by our inter-generational collaboration, appreciating and complementing the “gifts” that each generation brings. With your group, then, you can certainly dream of a better world of peace, but you have to make it tangible now with small but significant gestures of tolerance, of reconciliation, and fraternity.
Continue to protest against the evils and falsehoods you see in society, but always ask yourselves what first concrete step can be taken to effect change. As Christians, you can nourish yourselves with the Scriptures, but also commit yourselves to putting into practice God’s Words. You will discover that these are Words of Life, a life that demonstrates the truth of those Words. The ideals of the Gospel are global and universal.
Yes, indeed, we have to think globally, but we also need also to act locally and concretely. Someone, in fact, coined the word “glocal” to strike a balance between global ideas and local concretizations.
Truly, we can both keep dreaming and begin transforming these dreams into concrete realities.
Francesco Chatel, Ting Nolasco, Frances Orian and Fr. Am Mijares
References:
Lyons, Linda (2004). Teens Dreams Grounded on Reality. Retrieved from gallup.com National Journal (2013).
Heartland XVIII: Raising the Next Generation in a Changing Nation. Retrieved from http://heartlandmonitor.com/ heartland-monitor-xviii-childhood-in-america/
