Overglorified chimp speaks to the masses

For context: Go here.

My plea to the youth of nation:

Please, read Voltaire, and understand his famous quote "I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

Please, understand that other people's opinions are just as valid as yours, as long as they have the sources to back them up. Listen to them and you may learn something. After all, life is but a learning experience.

Please, differentiate between who said what and who allowed who to say what. Sweeping things under the carpet isn't going to help in the long run. The trick is to be mature enough to deal with valid opinions and insults in a civil and grown up manner.

Please, know that when you question someone, it does not necessarily mean you are attacking them.

Please, always hold your ideals and principles close to your heart and defend them when necessary, and try not to go against them. The road less traveled is less traveled for a reason, but going with the flow and being unoriginal never did yield much pleasure and satisfaction.

Please, never resort to low-blows and try to win arguments fairly without resorting to dirty tactics or name-calling, and most important of all, never lose your dignity. There's a difference between dignity and pride, btw.

Please, don't rely on the education system alone for your education. Look at issues clearly and realise when there are efforts to manipulate you, so that you may make informed and educated opinions of said issues.

Please, acquire the knowledge and skills to read between the lines. Sometimes, it's a reaction too slow and a sentence left unsaid that makes all the difference.

Please, always rely on more than one news source, if necessary, from all sides of the spectrum, for your information needs. That doesn't mean you have to think what other people tell you to think, but rather look at the story from all sides before making your mind. No matter how thin you slice it, there's always more than one side to the story.

Please, when you are disillusioned and disheartened, try to bounce back. Sometimes, you expect that some people will stand up and fight for their standards and beliefs, but sometimes, it also turns out that maybe those people, or worse yet, those beliefs, never existed in the first place. Mourn your naivete, and move on.

Please, most importantly, do not be poisoned by apathy. One person may not be able to do a lot, but at least try. World peace doesn't seem to be achievable in my lifetime, but that doesn't mean we should all pack up and start mauling each other.

Please, when you find yourselves in a position of authority or influence, remember never to underestimate the people whom you address. Not everyone is stupid, and sometimes all it takes is one stroke for you to lose whatever credibility and reputation you've built over the years.

And finally, when you find yourselves in a position to lead the country, remember all this, and so may you never run our country into the ground by disenchanting the youth.

Leadership by example.

...and I'm still waiting...