Guest urges students to be more aware of surroundings and not let opportunities slip by
Young people should always bear peace in mind when facing life in the 21st century, Dr Philemon Choi Yuen-wan said.
Dr Choi, the general secretary of the youth group Breakthrough, was speaking as the officiating guest at Pui Ying College's annual speech day.
He said students had been born into, and were in charge of an important age where both the best and worst things exist.
Although the 21st century had arrived, Dr Choi said many teenagers did not know how to handle it. Many were afraid and overlooked challenges.
Dr Choi said there were two characteristics that 21st-century youngsters should possess.
The first was a sense of urgency. He said some youngsters were too unaware of their surroundings. They easily let opportunities pass by and eventually wasted their lives. Time was running so fast that if youngsters did not grasp opportunities, they would probably be left behind.
The second characteristic was a sense of mission. He cited the example of the late United States president John F Kennedy to remind students that only when they were willing to take up re sponsibility could they achieve their goals.
Dr Choi also talked about globalisation. He said as economies grew, relations between countries would become closer. Yet at the same time, the uneven distribution of wealth would become more severe.
Also the rapid development of biotechnology meant that in a short time, humans would be able to control diseases after unravelling the secret of genes. This would have a huge impact on human lives, he said.
'But at the same time, many new viruses and diseases will show up, just like the bird flu in Hong Kong, which has made the place famous as a city without chickens!' Dr Choi said.
Young people should also be aware of global power struggles. China would probably become one of the strong countries in the new century, but the Chinese should respect others to prevent wars or conflict.
'Some countries are afraid of the descendants of the dragon - the Chinese - because they attacked us in the past and took so many things from us. But now we are growing strong.' However, Dr Choi said the Chinese should not start war, but always keep peace in their minds.
Dr Choi also talked about information technology that could bring people closer, yet at the same time, create distance between them. Although e-mail allowed him to communicate with relatives overseas, some colleague would prefer to e-mail than talk face-to-face.
It was important to maintain spiritual communication with others by utilising the convenience of technology, he said.
