Youth Category 2nd Prize

BEYOND RESPECT TO LOVE,
BEYOND KNOWLEDGE TO EXPERIENCE

By Hofan Chau
Hong Kong, China, Age 21

We have a saying in Chinese: "When living in good fortune, you often don't know it.' Every so often, when someone visits our house I get to see it in new eyes again. Even though we live in the metropolis of Hong Kong, my parents have chosen to live in the countryside - in front of the sea and behind a forest. I am grateful that my parents chose to bring us up around dogs and papaya trees. The experience of living in relationship with nature has moved me to want to share this blessing. This summer I am working to help build a sustainable development village, so that my grandchildren can live in a world where such places still exist.

I think that while respecting life is a good first step, we need to move beyond it. Although respect has tones of reverence, it still implies distance. When we are asked to respect our friend's decision, or respect our neighbour's property, in effect we are asked to refrain from becoming involved. This restraint may be couple with feelings of high regard, but nevertheless suggests an act of non-involvement. As plants, animals and people are being hurt and dying around us, we need to be involved.

It is not good enough to read about ecological cycles and food chains in textbooks. Children (and adults too) needs to go out into nature and feel one's interconnectedness with life. I remember once going to an extremely beautiful part of China, and I was taken aback by its beauty - young pine trees growing in a valley out of ochre-red soil, and ink black rocks under the towering blue sky … at that moment I was filled with so much love. I realised that the world is a vast place, and that humans are but a thread in a huge web. The world felt so perfect I knew it had to have meaning, and I felt such joy as to be part of that meaning! Perhaps you too, have been to a place that moved you with its beauty and know what I mean.

I fell in love with that place and I took a year out before going to university to taught in the rural village around there. The children there, with their curiosity and openness, taught me many things. In the city things can become so complicated, but there I learnt to be grateful for simple things - to have enough food to eat, to have a chance to go to school. I felt more alive there than I had ever been.

The kids and I ran around the hills spotting birds and drawing trees. We would talk about how people are poisoning the streams in order to fish, and I tried to start them thinking. I was both teacher and friend. I think educators need to be excited, model what they teach, and listen to their students needs and ideas. Educational psychologists now recognize that learning has to be authentic, and teaching needs to be a two way street. My students taught me so much, and continue to do so! Just the other day and one of the kids has written to discuss the meaning of life with me!

I think that is where we begin. We need to create environments for people so that they can experience love and curiosity for life around them. Because of this, I am now the first person in my university to major in 'Peace and Conflict Education'. I created this major myself, because the existing programs did not encompass what I wanted to study.

For me, peace is the state where everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential. Education is the means to cultivating it. You know the saying, 'You can lead a horse to the water and but you can't make it drink.' Education is about offering that option. I believe that once children and adults experience love and their relationship to nature, they will want to drink from this wonderful stream.

We need to create experiences for people to see how incredible life is so they won't want to kill. We need to look into the mirror and recognize how each of us have the capacity to be beautiful and intelligent and good. Where should I begin? I need to be peaceful myself - I need to understand myself and how I relate to life around me. I need to learn to love the people around me better. I need to appreciate how blessed I am, from the food I have to eat, to the fact I exist. When I am peaceful, people will see what a wonderful thing it is to be peace and join me… but I am still working on it.

Want to walk with me?