| Pause For The Cause |
| Written by Peter Wairegi |
 Pause For The CauseIt's that time again! The welcoming smell of barbeque grills fired up and searing steak, chicken and ribs. As parents, we celebrate that our children have made it and our children are celebrating that school is finally over – at least for now. Our youth are the leaders of tomorrow. In this month's issue we have devoted our main theme to empower our youth with emphasis on education. My thoughts never stray far from my mother's admonishment “Ignorance has no medication, but a good antidote is education and a good attitude is making education your key to success.” I wisely chose to follow her personal formula for success (Education = Information=Knowledge). Now a parent myself, I have chosen to revisit that advice from my mother. It behooves us to do our best to continue to encourage our youth to aspire for knowledge through education. The emergence of women in every phase of public life has also fast- forwarded the pace of cultural change. The best example we have to offer is our First Lady, Michelle Obama who is very passionate about education and has advocated for all of us to empower our youth throughout education. In the end our children will be more equipped to handle the challenge that will face them both during their educational pursuit and also in their working life Let us pause to say that besides strengthening our youth in the area of education, we must also emphasize other qualities that are just as important such as personal responsibility, integrity, tolerance and compassion. We can have educated youth who end up being unable to excel in the global world if we do not pass these very vital traits to them. This is where we must expand our educational curriculum to include sensitivity training, exposure and a diverse outlook in life. College should affirm all of these characteristics as a vital component of what it takes to be decent and productive citizens. If we embrace this positive affirmation and incorporate it in our parenting, we will reduce intolerance, hatred, bigotry towards others an in turn be rewarded with a more humane society. Let us all do our part, the educators who will build upon what our elementary and high schools have produced. We also challenge our politicians to fight for extra curricular activities such as music, sports programs for our youth. That challenge is also extended to our judicial system to level the playing field and employ measures advocating literacy and solid basic education rather than settling solely for punitive resolutions. We are all one people, with diverse backgrounds but poised for a common purpose in our desire for a better life. We are familiar with the saying “We should all aspire to leave this world a better place than we found it.” As we pause for the cause, let us then begin and end by making sure that our children are the benefactors. Mzee Peter Wairegi Publisher and CEO |
