Survey Responses

We at Peace of the World International sincerely thank all of you who are taking the time to respond to our survey regarding Valuing our Youth. The following are postings, which have recently come in, and we will continue to add others as time and space permit.

To help in understanding the responses in some way, the questions as they were asked on the survey are as follows:

1) Do you think we value our children and our youth?

2) Do you feel safe? If not why?

3) What is important about being a young person?

4) What did you aspire to achieve when you were young?

5) What are the priorities in today's world - from a younger person's perspective and from an older person's perspective?

6) Which are you (younger or older)?

7) How do you deal with conflict and/or disagreements?

8) Is Peace possible?

9) How?

(Answer to question #1) Truly valuing our children would include:

providing health care to children and those who are caring for them

greater punishments for crimes against children

adequate nutrition for children in poverty

improved educational resources for all

valuing heroes/mentors for our children who have achieved more than just fame or monetary success

and much more

These are vitally important to nurture our children as they are growing physically, mentally, and spiritually.

(Answer to Question #2) I do feel safe in most aspects knowing that I have a strong support system to help me through any situation that arises, something all children need as well.

(Answer to Questions #4 & 5) When I was young, I wanted to have a family, a career where I could help others, and to be a strong contributor to my community. For many of the youth that I know, monetary success and acceptance are their two strongest priorities, and both are intertwined. My greatest priority is to leave this world better than when I entered it. I want to make a difference in my children's lives, in my community, in my state, in my country, in the world-and I work hard to accomplish these goals. I have met many others who have these same priorities, others who simply want to lead a peaceful, happy life surrounded be loved ones, and many who believe that the only road to happiness is through monetary worth and owning the best of everything.

(Answer to Question #7) Disagreements are somewhat unavoidable. We approach life in our own individual way, offering differing ideas on how to approach and resolve problems. However, this fact does not necessitate conflict. I always try to approach disagreements with my mind open to the other person's needs and motivations in order to understand where they are coming from. This helps me to find resolutions that will give everyone some sense of satisfaction.

(Answer to Question #8) Is peace possible? I have to believe that the answer is yes. With improved understanding, empathy, communication, and love.

[January 23, 2009] ~ Tessilyn ~ USA

(Answer to question #)7 deal with that by persuasion

(Answer to question #)8 yes

(Answer to question #)9 by recognising each person's worth, equitable distribution of resoources, justice to all

[February 23, 2008] ~ Khayadi ~ Kenya

Children and youth are only valued for selfish reasons; to propagate ones lineage, cheap labour, etc

(Answer to question #)2. don't feel safe, danger lurks all round; road carnage, robbery, political chaos

(Answer to question #) 3 financial success

(Answer to question #)4 the fact that the future is in your hands; the power to determine tomorrow by making choices

(Answer to question #)5 (for the) young - acceptability; (for the) old - security

(Answer to question #)6 older

[February 23, 2008] ~ Lesley Khayadi ~ Kenya

Our children depend on adults to assist them in areas beyond their awareness. Many children have babies these days and still actively seek the childhood -the good times..This garners a sense of what appears to be irresponsibility. The uninformed cannot lead harmoniously...Those who have skills and tools as well as the transformative power of love can make valuable changes that will impact the quality of life

[February 13, 2008] ~ S. Cawarrie ~ USA

The answers to your questions were posted a long time ago by me...:-)

[February 3, 2008] ~ Janak Patel ~ Kenya

We do not value them enough to give them to give them a clean and safe

environment. I am safe and I won't be cowed by fear. A young person needs to

feel that they have a chance at life and hope for the future. I wanted to make the world a better place than I found it. So far greed has made it worse. The priorities for all are to sustain life on this planet. I am old now and I try tolive

simply so others may simply live. I deal with conflict with reason and respect

forthe inherent worth and dignity of every living creature. Peace is possible if the people will it. Lettheso calledleadersfight if they want to. We the people here don't want a war.

[February 1, 2008] ~ Barbara Rosalik ~ USA

When we value something, we talk about it, and we put our time and financial resources in service of it. Based on this premise, Americans do not value their own youth or the youth of the world. America's vast intellectual and fiscal resources are squandered in making war on another soverriegn nation, and destroying their culture and infrastructure.

There will never be peace in the world, as long as the gulf between the rich and the poor is widening.

I am an older person (60), and my priority is survival of ecosystems that support life. Because I value life as a gift from God, I cherish each expression of life, from the tiniest molecule to the oldest human. A mechanistic worldview that sees every creation as an object to be used will take us to destruction.

Young people need to be exposed to the philosophical traditions that express the best in human evolution, and be challenged and mentored in furthering the growth of human consciousness.

[January 29, 2008] No Name Provided USA

We greatly value our children and youth. We put a lot of effort into keeping them safe and healthy, into educating them, into socializing them and into strengthening their roles as individuals within our society. Unfortunately, we also try to instill our own prejudices into them, thus perpetuating our own social divisions along religious, political and class lines. Instead, we should enhance their flexibility and adaptability, for their world will have new and different exigencies.

Acceptance of the views and understanding of the interests of others is today's priority. We should know what it is to walk in the next person's shoes.

From the younger person's perspective, we should build the self-confidence needed to share in the governance of the world. I am 80.

[January 28, 2008] ~ Joel Welty ~ United States of America

Our children are our future and they learn from observing how we live life.

Of course we are safe as GOD is within walking every step of the way with us.

Having the freedom to express their thoughts.

To treat everyone as I wanted to be treated.

The youth of today are the same as we were, they think they can do anything and as we have aged we find yes we can.

[I am[ 80 years young!

At this age I have found it better not to engage in a reply as it is only the other persons perspective of the situation. [We believe this is her response to question #5]

Peace is not only possible but we are entering a new golden age.

As mankind finds peace within it will manifest in the outer world.

[January 25, 2008] ~ Kathleen Schiller ~ U.S.A.

No, youth are not valued, for if they were, half of the foolishness that adults are busy concerning themselves with would not be a priority.

No, I do not feel safe. I feel like the proverbial sh.t is about to hit the fan, literally (i.e. this earth's ozone layer among many things).

The only worthwhile thing about being a youth is that hopefully you are one whose morals will stay in tact after one becomes an adult.

Since I was young I have always aspired to be a servant of positive change.

[January 23, 2008] ~ Meredith ~ U.S.A.

Children and Youth are very important stakeholders must be included in every national and international peace and development programme.

[January 21, 2008] ~ Rosemary Enie ~ Cameroon

No we do not value our youth nor anyone else that doesn't belong in a certain economic bracket.

I feel relatively safe.

It's been a while since I've been a young person so I can only respond by saying respect. Young people want to feel respected and honored.

From a younger persons perspective, I imagine they are wondering what kind of legacy we adults are leaving for them.

I'm an older adult

I pick my "battles" there are some conflicts that simply can not be resolved. However if it can - I usually start with trust.

Peace is not possible. There are too many variables in terms of socio-economics and war.

[January 18, 2008] ~ No Name Provided ~ U.S.

I believe it's easier to say we value our children - because it sounds "good" - than it is to show how much we value them.

Once a child is brought into this world, ideally, her parents are responsible for her, but that's the ideal scenario, and not always actuality, for a variety of reasons. So we, as adults, are all responsible. It's in our best interests to insure that a child is nourished physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And it takes a village to do that.

Well-nourished children are curious, resilient, and full of hope, always leaving the "broken toy" and the "playground squabble" in the past, and moving forward. I, for one, can learn life-lessons from that childlike behavior.

As a child, I always told adults who asked me that I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up, because my parents were educators. Just goes to show how adults, such as parents, can influence children. So, we need to make children our priority by working to preserve the world we leave to them - environmentally and economically.

Peace. Everyone seems to want it, but it has to be the most elusive concept in modern history. It is, though, possible. A meeting of the minds between reasonable people is a good beginning, I think. "Reasonable" is the key term, of course, something I'm not always in tune with. And when I don't address conflict/disagreements out of tranquility, and at times I don't, "reason" certainly crumbles. Peace is my personal aspiration, and I do see that coming to fruition, because it's exactly where I'm determined to be. Peace frees the mind and heart so that the impossible is possible, I think.

I'm no expert on what's important about being a young person. But the advice I'd give to anyone who'd dare to ask is to pursue your passion, no matter what, find a way to live it, and be the best at whatever it is you can be. But to never forget that you have an obligation to send it right back, because to those whom much is given, much is expected. And remember that as long as you walk this earth, life will always, always, throw the unexpected in your path. During those times, try to remember that "this too shall pass," there's a purpose you may not always understand, and whatever doesn't kill you will only make you stronger (I believe older adults can follow this advice, too. Me-me). Then, fly, butterfly, fly...

[December 29, 2007] ~ Gina Gipson ~ U.S.A.

In America, I think we very much love our youth; but (pathetically, in our obsessive, consumer society) we treat them as very valued possessions ---and don't respect them as people in their own right. I would feel it presumptuous for me to try to comment on how children are valued in Africa. I know they are valued and respected most highly in the few remaining African forager societies.

When I was young, I was caught up in the American consumer fantasy like everyone else. I was completely shielded and excluded from the real world and from making meaningful contributions to it ---such that I could even begin to gauge my place within it.

Young people are so very important because they come in with our original, pristine "hard-wiring" that is prepared for developing egalitarian, selfless behavior modes so important to the original paleolithic life-patterns that shaped us. They represent the "default program" of the human species. To the extent they preserve this nature from the brainwashing effects of modern child-rearing and normative schooling, they can act as a corrective to the mind-set of the confused and now violent modern zoo.

I'm an older person, and the priorities continue to be "consumerism and waste". Yet, there is just the beginning of a movement toward egalitarianism and preservation of the environment. It better happen fast, or we'll not save the planet in time ---the death knell of the human species.

Natural Morality is the best approach to living peacefully. It is the morality that is "in our genes" and was shaped by the life patterns of forager societies. It is, simply, "Help/Don't Hurt" --being moral is being helpful and considerate; being immoral is being hurtful and/or inconsiderate. I try to use this simple principle when dealing with conflict and/or disagreements to quell these disturbances.

Peace is only possible when we "liberate" the last discriminated class ---our youth. If we raise them with, not only love, but with respect of their rights, we will have made a major step toward allowing them to develop naturally and peacefully ---these children, when they would be adults, can truly save the world with the values they will naturally reflect within the world arena. I believe this is the ONLY way to peace! As long as we trample on their rights and, however cleverly, demand they conform to a deviant world, all hope is lost.

[December 24, 2007] ~ DALE GLABACH ~ U.S.A.

I think parents value their own children in general.

I do not feel safe. I am not allowed to protect my own children in the most effective means available. Governments seem more interested in protecting us than allowing us to protect ourselves.

I'm not even free on a forum like this since you have said you will not take my comments as they are. Out of context, my comments could be made to say almost anything. This isn't accepting my views. If you really want to know what parents are experiencing, then take our comments as they stand.

[December 7, 2007] ~ ArdentAngel ~ U.S.A.

Dear friends in peace, Greetings of love, peace and joy from OPD Pakistan.

I do believe that youth is only source of our dreams, through which we may achieve our vision, mission and goals. I have confirm believe that without the active involvement of our youth we can never move forward towards our vision.

Youth is the future decision makers they are the pillars on which we put our foundation for the better and bright future, therefore, we do value our youth and should provide them opportunities to get a peaceful and prosperous future.

Every young person is a key element of the society, which may have to lead the community and set pattern for the nation in future, therefore, it is very important to give value to our youth to create a peaceful atmosphere around world and earth to be a living planet.

I wanted to be and want to be a helpful person to the needy, deserving, ignored and marginalized communities to in regard to developing their capacity to become self-reliant. I think youth is the only hope for us to bring a peaceful change in the world. This is the right time when we should give them space to build their self in a peaceful atmosphere so that he may become a nature loving fellow to survive and protect the earth planet from violence and wars.

According to my thinking and philosophy of life, I define *Peace as Life*. Peace is another word for life and love. I think, we the peace activists/ peace lovers can not ignored youth to make our efforts fruitful for this world to make it a peaceful planet, where everybody may lead his/her life in love, liberation, love, joy, justice, faith, prosperity and development. And we can achieve this goal through peace education and active involvement of our youth, youth of the world in regard to stop violence and cultural conflicts around the world. We should provide maximum opportunities to the future leaders and decision

makers.

I hope and believe that we shall overcome on the violence one day and this world will be a peaceful planet for all beings in the universe. God bless you and may peace prevail on earth.

[March 19, 2006] ~ Jahangir Piara ~ Pakistan

We do not value our youth when we take away their sense of wonder, their dreams, and replace them with social reality. All children should grow up in a loving, nurturing environment of hope and peace, with enough to eat, a safe place to play, and a chance to dream dreams of heroes and heroines.

As a child, I aspired to become a leader of a peaceful country where everyone was happy and there were no wars or strife. As an adult, I continue to have the same dream or aspiration: to head a country where there is no strife or warring factions and where people get along.

A few years ago, I tried to make that dream a reality by trying to create a country called Eden, a libertarian country where the inhabitants and citizens are free to do and think anything they want so long as it does not harm another. I wrote to several governments in Africa and South America, hoping that they would sell me as little as 25 square miles of land to build Eden. No government responded. I still have that dream...

[March 11, 2006] ~ Earl Smith ~ United States of America

Survey Responses

Building Peace for the World's Children

Peace of the World International