as i grew up, changed and improved by this incident and many other similar ones, i began to perceive the changes taking place around me and to find that society, in a way, was in its formative years like myself. new buildings, new commodities and new fashions appear every day.
new ideas, new information, new technologies. people can talk with each other from any corner of the earth in a matter of seconds. society is becoming more competitive.
words like individuality and creativity are getting more emphasis and more people are rewarded for their hard work and efforts. such is the era in which this generation ,grows and matures.
such is the era in which this generation will take over the nation from our fathers and learn to run it. yet in the meantime, many problems still exist.
we learn that crimes take place in broad daylight with crowds of people looking on and not assisting. we hear that there are still about 1 million children in this country who can't even afford to go to elementary schools while enormous sums of money are being squandered away on dinner parties and luxury cars.
we buy shoddy medicines, or merely worthless junk in the name of medicines, that aggravate, rather than alleviate our diseases since money, many people believe, is the most important thing in the world that must be made, even at the expense of morality and responsibility.
such an era, therefore, determines that we are a generation with a keener sense of competition and efficiency and a greater readiness to think critically and act creatively.
such an era, furthermore, demands, that we are a generation with a clear perception of our historical responsibility and an aggressive will to take action and solve the problems. history has long been preparing these qualities in this generation and it is now calling us forward to give testimony to our patriotism and heroism towards this nation and all humanity.
standing here now, i think of the past 15 years of this nation, which has achieved greatness that inspired millions of people of my age, most of whom will not attain fame or prestige and only a few of whom will be remembered by posterity. but that doesn't discourage us any, because we know that the world watches, the world listens, the world is waiting to see where this nation will be heading in a time of rich opportunities and fierce competition.
i can't ever forget that little girl in my class who couldn't had the same opportunities as any of us here to enjoy a wonderful life today and a hopeful world tomorrow.