Youth and Politics

Please forgive me if my thoughts do not coincide with one another. I have to write my thoughts or else they'll disappear.
Where do we place ourselves in a world controlled by grown ups? How do we speak up without disrespecting their seniority? And most importantly, how could we contribute to the status quo? Youth and politics have long attracted the attention of researchers, however, these two aspects of society are not readily associated with one another. Why? Adults often see us idealistic and apathetic when it comes to politics. At first, I found myself disagreeing with this state. I'm still in my youth, and I'm not like that. Well, it so happens that I'm not the only youth in the country. Yesterday, I was in the extension office-reading the data from the TALIM Seminar. The respondents were officers of different organizations and duly elected SK officials. Most of their answers reflect the optimism that they have for our nation. It maybe a good sign for some, but I can't help but worry. Optimism could lead to possible disillusion. And false hopes. HAHA. They were talking about a nation that's progressive and peaceful; where citizens help one another, where honest and responsible thrives; a nation free from the inequalities that life has to offer. I'm not saying that this is not possible, however, the probability of these things to exist within our lifetime is little. We're Filipinos; we choose to believe in the good side of things, to believe that there is relief beyond the suffering were experiencing. We made ourselves to be optimistic, just to have something to hold on to when things get rough. Apathetic? I don't think so. But our public servants keep on talking about things that we have no concern for. Alienation, yes. People would rather not participate in a system they do not know (or doubt), than to pretend to know things. In the case of TALIM, the respondents are willing to participate because at least they have some experience regarding politics already. The Filipino youth of today does not lack knowledge when it comes to pressing social issues, but getting us to participate in making a difference is another matter. I need to catch up with my reading list, just to add more ideas. I have a lot of reading to do! I'm actually writing my thesis proposal about political youth participation, too.