Empowering our youth: The road to the 2025 midterm elections

As we approach the midterm elections, attention is again focused on the youth (ages 18 to 40) as a vital demographic. Why not when this cohort constitutes the majority of voters?

I have a personal reason for entertaining this hope regarding the potential of our younger generation to make elections somehow less of the same. As a former academic researcher who taught church social teachings for 40 years, I have witnessed my students’ idealism and enthusiasm to make a significant difference in our nation’s future, both as voters and aspiring politicians.

Reminded of the parable of the farmer who sowed good seeds (Matthew 13:24-46), I sometimes wonder whether the seeds planted in the university fell on fertile ground of their “kalooban,” enabling them to grow and bear fruit. Or were the seeds devoured by “birds”? Did they fall on rocky terrain, sprouting quickly but withering away due to insufficient soil? Did the sun scorch them, without roots to sustain them? Or did other seeds land among thorns, ultimately choking the plants’ growth? Only students we have trained to be globally competent in their respective fields, compassionate, and committed to a life of service can answer these questions.

A prevalent and well-founded concern is expressed about the youth’s withdrawal from and/or apathy toward social and political engagement. If true, this trend may reflect a lack of in-depth awareness regarding their social and civic responsibilities. Studies also show that family endorsement significantly influences their political attitudes and behavior, potentially limiting critical thinking skills learned while in school. But what happens when their choices are at odds with their elders, whose voting behavior might have been already shaped by personal relationships and ambivalent cultural values such as pakikisama, utang na loob, and hiya?

The “best and the brightest” among the new breed of young politicians, yet untainted by corruption, can offer hope for a firm commitment to the rule of law and ethical governance in contrast to traditional politicians who have remained in office regardless of their perceived qualifications, moral integrity, intellectual capacity, or executive skills. In the growing prevalence of politics devoid of conscience, we are compelled to question what it will take for them to reject the insatiable desires Leonardo Boff describes as the hunger of the human heart: the pursuit of money, power, and fame. As predicted by what social psychologists call the Lucifer Effect, will they fall victim to the widespread culture of corruption affecting government branches?

This election is an opportune time for the youth to pay attention, discern, and respond more actively to the challenges of our fragile democratic life. With investigations of alleged abuse and misuse of power, the potential for a youth vote to emerge rooted in a desire for transformative social and political change is substantial.

Our elders owe it to the youth with a depth and singleness of purpose to tap their latent potential to shape the future of our country. The call to action empowers them to break free from the compelling spell and illusions of transactional, money-driven politics, guiding them toward principled, and performance-based electoral decisions.

NOEL ASIONES,
noelgasi2000@yahoo.com