Bereket Gebru
There is no need
to present trail of analysis that the youth is the future of the nation. It is the natural law of societal development
which necessitates the succession. The pivotal role played by the youth is also
determined by the ability to transfer positive aspects of their experiences to
successors. The new generation should not undergo the same difficulties in life
witnessed by their predecessors. The youth are also expected to determinedly
uphold the foundation laid by their precursors by seeing the latter’s efforts
through to fruition. They should also come up with dynamic and progressive
ideas to fill gaps and missing links which their fathers and forefathers failed
to accomplish. Put differently, a consolidated effort is required to
contemplate the pros and cons of past actions executed in the social, economic
and political arena and make positive changes.
This is a huge
responsibility. The future fate of this country depends upon the commitment and
readiness of the youth to tackle the multifaceted tasks put upon them. With
this regard, the youth are expected to perform the following essential duties:-
Learning from the experiences of precursors
Currently, the
major economic, social and political actors of this nation, by and large, are
composed of the middle age group who were active in the students’ movement in
secondary schools and colleges back in the 1960’s. People falling under this
age group do have many experiences to share with the young generation. These
experiences can positively and adversely affect the lives of the youth.
It is essential
to note that the references made on the generation of the 1960’s are intended
to give nothing more than an idea about the inclination and movement of the
youth that were the peculiar characteristics of those times. Those times are
remembered as one in which the youth were willing and committed to participate
in the national agenda of struggling to bring about drastic change. They had a
vision to see a democratic Ethiopia
where its people enjoy better livelihood. During those days, national issues
were the main concern of the youth surpassing their personal desires and
ambitions in life. The economic, social and political queries that had been
stirred among the people were the fundamental issues which urged the youth to
strive for change.
The current
generation does have a lot to learn from this shining history. On the contrary,
the youth should also learn from the blunders committed by the same generation.
The first lesson to learn is the importance of tolerance. In the power struggle
against the Derg, there were ideological differences among many rebel groups.
Due to polarized ideological thoughts, it was difficult to create synergy among
different rebels to fight together against the Derg. Political forces were
trying to impose their ideologies on others and were arguing among themselves,
instead of focusing on their common agenda - overthrowing the Derg.
The young
generation should learn the significance of tolerance from this episode.
Especially today, when the country is enjoying peace and transition of power
will take place only by a democratic election, ideological differences are
treated logically and free flow of ideas are exercised democratically, the
youth should abstain from destructive practices and should contemplate not to
become an instrument for those who try to seize power by force.
The youth should actively partake in the national
agenda
The nation
building task is not to be left for few politicians. It needs full
participation of all citizens of the country in general and the youth in
particular. It is greatly expected of the youth to contemplate on the national
agenda and actively participate in development, democracy and peace affairs on
the one hand, and in their personal undertakings on the other. Individual
efforts of the youth can never bear fruit without them being organized.
Creating pragmatically responsible citizens
For the youth to
successfully play the nation building role, they should fulfill some
expectations. Some of them are presented as follows:
Being ethical
The youth have
to preserve important societal values being governed by ethical discipline,
abstaining themselves from immoral behavior and becoming exemplary to others.
To this effect, it is mandatory for the youth to:
- Cope up with
democratic thoughts and respect human and democratic rights of citizens;
- uphold
equalities of all nations and nationalities of the country; not to mention the
belief in gender and religious equalities;
- abide by the
rule of law, respect the laws of the nation, and fight illegality;
- believe in
tolerance;
- love their
country and aspire national growth and prosperity;
- develop a passion
for work and fight corruption;
- be honest,
tolerant and dedicated.
Being free from harmful addictions
The majority of
young people are susceptible to take up something new and hence harbor
addiction very easily. The youth cannot become responsible citizens if they are
immersed in the bondage of harmful addictions. Harmful addictions include,
inter alia, the use of tobacco, drug, alcohol and other narcotics. Besides, the
youth should protect themselves from Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDS) like
HIV/AIDS. They should also stand at the forefront in the effort to fight such
epidemics.
Young people
should be able to acquire knowledge and skill in the areas of democracy, good
governance and development so as to perform national duties and
responsibilities. Courage only cannot help anything. Therefore, the young
generation should give priority to research and analytical knowledge. Promotion
from one level to the other in high school education or earning degrees and
diplomas from colleges means nothing unless it is supported by practical skills
and knowledge that can bring about pragmatic change. Knowledge is testified by
the ability to generate new ideas, give due respect to professional tasks and
perform to the utmost satisfaction of one’s nation in every undertaking.
Become fruitful in professional engagements
Young people
should become result-oriented by focusing on the outcomes of their activities;
instead of counting the number of tasks done. It is sad to say that there is a
deep-rooted tradition in our country that performance is measured by the means;
instead of the ends. Hence, performance is measured by the steps included in
the process of doing something; not by the tangible results attained. The new Ethiopia
should replace such kinds of wrong appraisals with better ones. Young people
ought to detach themselves from such misconceptions. They are expected to
strive towards maintaining a tradition of appraising performance based on
efficiency and effectiveness.
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