Dear Manang,
I have some friends who have become estranged because of some individual differences and legal issues. I don’t know how to handle this as a community elder but it affects a lot of the activities that we used to have like planning meetings and outings. It has polarized the group and many tend to stay away when one is involved or in attendance. I think this is childish. Instead of patching up and reconciling, they aggravate it. Is there a solution?
Medina of Holy Ghost Extension, Baguio City
Dear Medina,
Respect the hurt feelings because those are personal affairs and only they will repair their own relationship. It is very difficult to manage those differences within groups and teams. Instead of cooperation, there’s division. We need to pray that some kind of crisis occurs for them to patch up, which is the only possible way to solve it. Valuable people need to rise above this pettiness but not everyone is magnanimous enough to do it. My hands are tied here, I am in the dark too. I cannot repair this situation in my own team.
Pray for reconciliation,
Manang
Dear Manang,
I wish for the return of the Boy and Girl Scouts in the elementary and secondary schools because I noticed that the youth are no longer courteous and helpful. I have been bumped and pushed by teenagers and young people many times without any apology or “excuse me”. I remember when I was in grade school that Scouts were taught to respect elders and help them with groceries or cross the street. It was ingrained in us to be courteous and kind to everyone and everything. What happened to the next generations?
Amy of Mirador Hill, Baguio City
Dear Amy,
I agree with you about the generations that have lost their sense of community and belonging. I fear the effects of the Internet and the virtual world on people and the future society. Right now, we don’t need to personally shop, bank, and meet individuals because of the cellphone.
We can just call and see each other on the screen of gadgets without having to interact. What’s more with Scouting that has been relegated as a token organization in elementary schools with just the uniform as requirement, it has lost its importance in character formation and citizenship. We must rally for the educational system to use scouting for building good citizens and persons because this would be a cold world if we retreat to the digital habitat instead of looking at the others in the eye and camping in the mountains to learn survival. We need some awareness to bridge the two sides of life.
Let’s start to physically engage,
Manang
