The PTA has been known for three things: meetings, contributions, and projects. These things are necessary and important, but I believe that the PTA should stand for more important things than these!
The current picture of our world is horrible. Incest, drug abuse, rape, prostitution, child abuse, white slavery, domestic violence, pornography, perversions, etc. Every time I hear of these things over the radio or see them on television I can't help but think of my children and wonder what kind of world they will grow up in.
We want a better world than what we have right now. We want a K kind of world for our children. K stands for "Kid-friendly." It also stands for "Okay." Our idea of a kid-friendly world is a world where kids, like yours and mine, are given all the opportunities and privileges to develop in all levels, aspects and dimensions of their lives and to reach their highest God-given potentials for the good of mankind in a safe and healthy environment.
In the final analysis, everything boils down to us K parents. A K-world needs K-parents! If we want to make changes, we need to change. If we want to make a difference, we need to be different.
Many times change has to begin with our attitudes...
The most common attitude is one of INDIFFERENCE. The I-don't-care attitude or the I-have-nothing-to-do-with-it attitude. Many don't care, that is, until incest is in their very own homes, then they begin to care. They don't care until teenage pregnancy is staring them right across their dinner table. They don't care until they find out that their teen-ages are hooked on drugs.
If you study history, you will soon discover that the indifferent has never changed the world for the good. It is those who are actively involved who make the world a better place.
There is a common adage: "For evil to triumph, it is enough that good men do nothing." We have no right to complain about what's happening around us if we ourselves are doing nothing. In fact, I am convinced that the horrible condition of our world today is due to the fact that we are doing nothing to improve it.
The second attitude is one of PESSIMISM. The I-can-do-nothing-about-it-therefore-I-give-up attitude. This is the attitude of failure. The attitude of surrender. Someone has aptly said that "You are not a failure until you quit trying." In other words, you are a failure not because you fail, but because you stop trying!
The third attitude is that of OPTIMISM. This is the I-believe-I-can-make-a-difference attitude. This is the stand of your PTAA. We believe we can make a difference. We believe we can make a better world. We don't see things hopelessly. Yes, we see the black clouds hanging over the world today, but we do not focus on them. Our eyes are set on the Son (of God) that is brightly behind those evil clouds.
We see the present evil as a challenge to overcome, a test to pass, a trial to undergo, a raging river to cross, a wall to scale, a mountain to climb, a problem to solve. If nobody will do it, we will! We are the CPU-K PTAA!!!
The way won't be easy -- the world is in a real mess. In fact, it will be really rough and tough. No one wants to give us the better world that we dream of. No one will. But WE can make a better world for our children ourselves! It is really up to us! There is a price to pay. There are sacrifices to make. There are difficult decisions to make. There will always be setbacks to confront. But optimism says, "We can do it!"
I believe with all my heart that we can make a difference in this world for our children.
If we just put our hearts to it,
if we only believe we can,
If we soon realize that God is on our side,
If we are willing to pay the price,
If we are willing to sacrifice,
If we join our hands,
Together, we can build a better world for our children!
Thank you.
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Speech made by Pastor Norman S. Lao, CPU-K PTAA President (2002-2003), during the First General Assembly and Induction of Officers at the Educational Media Center, CPU Compound on July 20, 2002.
