[3217]Editorial: Legends Of 16 Years Old Youth

Taiwan Church News

3217 Edition

October 21 – October 27, 2013

Editorial

 

 

Editorial: Legends Of 16 Years Old Youth

 

 

Though the 2013 Nobel Peace Laureate is finally awarded to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), appreciating their long term concern and practice from World War I up to very recent Syria civil war to eradicate those deadly chemical weapons, the more hotly discussed Nobel potential among media before announcement is no doubt going to the 16 years old girl from Pakistan – Malala Yousafzai.

 

 

Since 2009, when she was only 11 years old, Malala started to use her pen name as Gul Makai to report for BBC about the daily lives of ordinary people under Taliban regime . And her report made known globally how Taliban’s notoriously authoritarian ruling in the name of religion. As Malala rose to fame worldwide very quickly, her efforts to boost women rights for education angered Taliban regime and almost cost her life with a bullet through her head at an assassination attempt in October 2012. After this murder, Malala was arranged to Britain to accept operation and treatment. She was not silent after her health got back , but set up the Malala Fund expecting to stop the pessimistic destiny originated from poverty and the illiterate. In 2013 , Malala was granted International Childrens Peace Prize from Kids Rights Foundation.

 

 

On July 12th 2013, the day of her 16th birthday, Malala was invited to deliver a speech at UN. She said courageously, “Taliban thought a bullet can keep a person shut up, but they failed”. She hoped the women around the world could use “the knowledge as their weapon, the solidarity as their shield” to fight and resist in courage. What a 16 years old young girl! When we were all fooling around in our youth, Malala dedicated her precious youth to build the hope of the world.

 

 

Malala’s story makes we remember Rev. Thomas Barclay, who came to Taiwan in the 19th century to preach God’s words, he also wrote down a consecration statement to God when he was 16 years old. After his covenant with God, every year around his birthday he would sign and confirm his consecration statement to God again. This story became a legend for Christians in Taiwan and an important tradition for the faculty and student in Tainan Theological College and Seminary.

 

 

Reflecting our contemporary Taiwan society, it is a pity that we do have some miraculous medicine to make our child “turn into adult” in physical body; but we do not have any good formula to turn them wise. When the Taiwanese parents are busy screwing up their 16 years old kids to become the slave to their school scores, they forget that 16 years old should be an age to consecrate and serve our Lord God!

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