What is the meaning of power?
Abraham Lincoln once said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” Lincoln is popularly known as the American President responsible for ending slavery. Jump several decades later to India, when Mahatma Gandhi was leading the movement for his country’s independence from England. Gandhi categorized power into two kinds, “One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.” He would be assassinated in 1948 by a Hindu nationalist, who did not agree with his vision of religious pluralism in the country.
On the other hand, the infamous Adolf Hitler did not believe in Gandhi’s power of love. He believed that “strength lies not in defense but in attack.” Frowned upon by history, Hitler was responsible for the death of millions of Jews and as the leader of the Axis Powers during the Second World War. The African-American activist Malcolm X couldn’t agree less with the German oppressor. The iconic 1960s political figure said, “Power in defense of freedom is greater than power in behalf of tyranny and oppression, because power, real power, comes from our conviction which produces action, uncompromising action.”
POWER may mean different things to different people, generations, religions and countries. The idea cannot be confined by a singular definition, as our world continues to change on a daily basis. Today’s millennial generation is rising. They are now considered the future, and it is up to them on what they want to do with it. Will they accomplish greater things than their forefathers? Or will they have trouble raising themselves from the ashes of oppression? As we all know, the current world situation is not a good one. Although, it never will be, will the new generation reign in their power to make the future a better place than it is today?
Lifestyle Asia sees a light in the next generation. Amongst the Philippine youth, there are those longing and hungry for more than just the traditional idea of power, but the power to change the world in their own special way. They see the future they want to belong to, and nothing will stop them from getting there. This is a future where education is valued, artists are free, the less fortunate is supported with open arms, and the country has progressed in all aspects.
The magazine explores these ideas with a new type of power issue. This latest edition is all about the empowered millennial generation, those who understand their peers and hope to lead them into a brighter future. Amongst the featured individuals is chocolatier Mark Ocampo, whose company Auro Chocolate doesn’t only sell premium products made of Davao cocoa, but supports farmers with a 10-year guarantee for their market. Edukasyon.PH founder and young CEO Henry Motte-Munoz is also featured. The Filipino-French national has a dream in providing the youth the proper information for the best educational paths. Other young Filipinos we gathered for the issue include Thinking Machines Data Science founder Stephanie Sy, beauty queen Laura Lehmann, budding artist Pauline Luz Sotto-Llanes, Crimson Hospitality VP Francis Gotianun, and Splash Corporation scion Alfonso Hortaleza, who are all changing the country (and soon the world) one step at a time.
On the cover is Katrina Razon, who appeared on the magazine’s cover six years ago as a university student. Today, Katrina has grown and now owns her own businesses, which includes being a partner at Third Culture Music + Media (an experiential and creative marketing agency), an organizer of the popular Wonderfruit Festival in Thailand, and being the lady boss of her own investment firm called KSR Ventures. Katrina is following her passions, and we consider her a symbol of what a millennial is capable of doing: do what you love and lift the world into greatness.
The Philippines is far from doomed because of the bright young minds who inhabit it. We may be living in harsh times, but no one ever came out of a war weaker. In a way, national hero Jose Rizal’s iconic poem To the Philippines Youth is more relevant than ever. He wrote:
Unfold, oh timid flower
Raise up your radiant brow
This day, youth of my native strand!
Your abounding talents show
Resplendently and grand
Fair hope of my Motherland!
We put our lives in the hands of our youth. We must be confident in them. We must let them succeed. And when they do, they will make the Philippines great again.
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