Thankful for our freedom, but mindful of unfinished tasks

For so long, our nation has been facing many adversities. Year in and year out, we suffer because of poverty, inequality, injustice, political and social conflicts. And because we prefer to wallow in the comfort of our old ways rather than embrace the uncertainty of reform, we struggle to find a way to put an end to our afflictions.

I am saddened that we as a people can’t seem to bring out the best in ourselves. In fact, I feel a sense of contrition for being a part of a generation that does not make the best use of the freedom our forefathers had worked hard to achieve for us. We continue to do things in less than noble fashion, we have somehow lost our dignity as a people, we have squandered much of our resources, and we have wasted precious time that could have been put to use for the betterment of our people and nation.

Yet, this is not the time to be softhearted. For me, and the rest of our countrymen who seek what is good for our people and country, this is also a moment to be thankful that we have freedom, for how unfortunate and painful would it be for us if we didn’t have liberty? This is a moment to think hard and recognize that our country has serious problems because of the willingness by many of our countrymen to surrender to the grip of obstinacy and knavery. These problems have been with us for too long, and it is time we acted with resolve to put an end to them.

JULIUS TURGANO
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