MAKING THE MOST OF MY QUALITIES

By Mg Arkar Mg Mg Aung Kyaw Htet
(Age 13, Myanmar)

It is very easy to be born, live and die for a person. Therefore a person should pass his span of life between birth and death beneficially.

I spend my life as beneficially as I can. I always try to act and think so that people can benefit from my deeds. Not very many people know the value of being human. The quality of a person depends on the effort he makes in achieving a goal. I do my lessons regularly and I spend my leisure time reading books, in order to get general knowledge, instead of wasting time with useless amusements. As I am a teenager, I help my mother with the household chores. The help I give her always pleases her. I speak to people, young or old. I help the elderly whenever I get a chance.

We learn about our environment and its conservation in our lessons. These lessons help us a lot in our understanding of the environment.

I admire Rachel Carson who made the world aware of the idea of environmentalism. She was well-known for her book, "The Sea Around Us" for which she was awarded. In 1962, she wrote "Silent Spring." In it there are many references to the death of thousands of animals and birds caused by "DDI," an insecticide. She painted out that people were in danger because of the deterioration of the environment. That is why she was called the mother of environmentalism.

No doubt it is essential to earn money for our basic needs, food, shelter and clothing. But it is also equally important to preserve our environment, making this world a pleasant place to live in.

As for me, I am quite confident that I am endowed with a good memory and also I have tried to be patient in whatever I do. So to develop these qualities, I learn poems, memorize them and then recite them from memory. Then to develop my patience, I try to solve cross-word puzzles piece together puzzle pictures until. I get them all fitted. My grandmother's advice has always been invaluable. She teaches us to finish a task once we have started it. This trains me to be committed to whatever I have chosen to do from the outset.

I sincerely hope that if I try enough to improve these qualities, they will, one day, be a big help to my ambition, which is to make our world a better one.

I shall study hard, and after finishing high school, shall go in for environmental studies. Then I shall help make this world "A Heaven on Earth."