In his latest peace proposal, Dr. Daisaku Ikeda shared the
following episode which touches me. There was a concern citizen who attempted
to engage in a dialogue with a general who was leading his army in many
inhumane brutalities against the common people. He wanted the general to see
the folly of his ways. The dialogue ended in failure. The general did not heed
his advice and went on to become a cruel tormentor.
After the dialogue, the citizen fell into a lengthy
silence. Finally, he turned to his friend who was with him and proclaimed:
“You must never give up. As long as a person is alive, somewhere beneath the ashes there is a little bit of remaining fire, and all our task is. . . You must blow. . . carefully, very carefully blow. . . and blow. . . you'll see if it lights up. You mustn't worry whether it takes fire again or not. All you have to do is blow. “
This was the citizen’s way of restoring his own
determination. At the same time, he recognized the importance of encouragement
those who stand at the precipice of despair.
Reflecting on my own personal ways of contributing to the education
of youths who will bear the burden of the future, the situation is equally
tough. It is not uncommon to hear of once passionate educators losing faith and
losing hope. Let me in my own way, cry:
“I must not give up. As long as there capable youths, the future of humanity is hopeful. Somewhere beneath the ashes, there is fire waiting to be ignited. All our task is... to encourage… carefully, very carefully encourage… and encourage… and the potential will be realized. I must not worry whether the youths are soaring high or not. All I have to do is encourage.”
